Religion, again.
20% of supposedly intelligent, fully trained medical professionals polled in America believe that ‘God’ (whatever form that construct would take) is capable of reversing terminal prognoses. These people who have studied the diseases concerned; seen first hand their effects and their pathology; these people who should understand why ‘terminal’ is given the definition that it is: they are claiming that an invisible friend could reverse the progress of a disease.
Surely this affects the efficacy of the concerned 20%? Rather than attempting the use of empirically-backed scientific methodology, their faith in divine intervention may lead to a somewhat lax attitude in treating the not-quite-terminal-but-not-far-off. Granted, this does assume a huge lapse in professionalism which would not be befitting of the vast majority of hard-working, dedicated healthcare staff; but there must exist fundamentalists within the profession (purely on the rule of averages) who would rather wait for God’s approval that someone deserves to be treated (by God’s own hand, no less) rather than treat them themselves.
OK, I know that I am being beyond sensationalist: but isn’t it a worry that people who could believe that something unprovable may be a better cure for disease than well-researched, heavily-proven science may be in charge of your care? I don’t believe that science and religion should ever overlap: religious, doctrine-instilled ethics should have no bind on medical ethics. The stem cell debate should purely be an analysis of the cost of a handful of potential (and indeed only potential) lives against the benefit of these sacrifices’ to many millions of others; rather than the inclusion of the risk of the incurrence of God’s almighty wrath.
The 57% of ‘average’ people believing in the power of prayer is somewhat more understandable: people cling to whatever hope that they are able to in times of great stress, such as the impending death of a loved one. And I suppose that the emotional stress of watching person after person die helplessly would push doctors inclined to do so into the realms of belief in divine intervention; but the stereotypical ‘consultant’s indifference’ would be a far more palatable alternative to a prayer for me.