Doctor, Will You Pray for Me?

Psychiatrist and bioethicist Robert Klitzman here explores the need for spiritual guidance among patients and their families who are experiencing illness. They often struggle to make sense of their situation, and as they confront their mortality they will try to seek hope, purpose, and larger connections beyond the world of medicine. While physicians are frequently uncomfortable with these issues, often under sung hospital chaplains can and do fill this void. Klitzman uses interviews with patients, families, and chaplains to bring their stories to life; and more broadly he explores the ways in which hospitals and the health care system might address this neglect of a vital human need in times of crisis.