Introduction: Solat or prayer, as one of the five pillars of Islam, is associated with bio-psycho-social benefits in Muslim patients. Many Muslim patients neglected solat while being hospitalized as they are unaware of the convenience (rukhsoh) available for them. Ibadah Friendly Hospital Courses have been conducted in different states of Malaysia to impart knowledge to the hospital staff who can in turn educate their patients. This study aims to construct a content-validated assessment tool to assess the effectiveness of a state-level Hospital Mesra Ibadah course. Materials and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was constructed and content-validated by a panel of three experts (two religious teachers and one consultant spine surgeon). All 15 questions achieved item-level content validity index (I-CVI) of 1.00 after two rounds of validation. The questionnaires were distributed to participants of a state-level Hospital Mesra Ibadah course to compare the participants’ pre-course and post-course test scores. Results: A total of 88 participants (48.9%) were included in this study. There was a significant difference in the pre-course test mean score and post-course test mean score among the participants. There was also a significant reduction of unsure answers after the course. There was no significant association found between the gender, place of work and occupation with the pre-post test score difference. Conclusion This study demonstrates that the Hospital Mesra Ibadah course is effective in imparting as well as consolidating the knowledge among participants, hence it should be routinely organized to benefit more participants.
Islam ; Religion ; Medicine ; Quality of Life

No abstract available.
Religion and Medicine

Lack of historical records causes some difficulties in the historical studies of ancient Korea. It is the same case as that of the history of medicine. We imagine what the situation of medicine was like in ancient Korea with a bit of historical records. In ancient times, medicine had very close relation with religions. In ancient Korea, it had very close relation with Buddhism. According to {Sam Kuk Sa Ki and {Sam Kuk Yu Sa buddhists monks treated patients with the religious rituals. In this article, the authors would like to present a record which had been unnoticed until now. It is the commentary of Wonhyo on a certain Buddhistic cannon called {Kum Kwang Myung Kyung. A chapter of this cannon is on the theory of medicine, causes of diseases and treatments. We can presume Wonhyo's knowledge of medicine at that time through his commentary on this chapter.
Buddhism/*history ; English Abstract ; History of Medicine, Ancient ; Korea ; Religion and Medicine

Muslim relies on the structure or guideline of shari’ah or the maqasid al-shariah, which consist of five essential values, namely preservation/protection of faith, life, intellect, property, and dignity/lineage – to guide them in discovering guiding principles for new concerns such as posed by neuroscience. Like in the case of brain imaging technology, there is in need for proper explanation within Islamic and among the Muslim scientists/scholars on how Islamic beliefs, values, and practices might cumulatively provide ‘different’ meanings to the practice and application of this technology, or whether it is in line with the shari’ah – in the context of preservation of health and protection of disease. This paper highlights the Islamic mechanism for neuroethics as basis for a holistic ethical framework of neuroscience to cope with its new, modern, and emerging technologies in the globalised world, and how Muslim should response to such changes.
Religion and Medicine ; Neuroscience

PURPOSE: To explore the meaning of prayer in Korean patients with end-stage cancer who profess Christianity or Buddhism, given the significant differences between these religions. METHODS: The Colaizzi (1978) analysis method was employed. In-depth interview were performed with 13 participants (seven Christians and six Buddhists) who were admitted to a University-affiliated hospital in Korea. RESULTS: The six categories emerged: 1) communication with God, 2) mind discipline, 3) spiritual growth, 4) mysterious experiences, 5) perception of death and after-life, and 6) various forms of prayers. CONCLUSION: The participants' prayer experiences were described in a religious context. Christians believed that prayer is communication with God while Buddhists regarded it as disciplining of minds. Despite some differences between the religious groups, a general meaning of prayer was a desperate desire to solve their health issues by relying on God or someone who is more powerful than themselves. They also experienced personal and spiritual growth through prayer. This study explains the phenomenon of prayer experiences and shows that prayer is an important coping mechanism.
Buddhism ; Christianity ; Faith Healing ; Humans ; Korea ; Methods ; Religion*

A postal survey was conducted to obtain information of the Protestant minister's knowledge, attituedand practice about family planning sex education and marriage during the period of July and August 1970. 536 ministers(14.4% were randomly selected from the nine denominations and military chaplains for the study using the most recent directories. Among 536 ministers 406 (75.7%) sent back the questionnaires. The knowledge about family planning was relatively higher than expected. In contrast to their higher knowledge, their approval rate of the family planning was slightly lower than that of the general population. The main reason for not approving of family planning was religious. The most commonly used contraceptives of the ministers were the traditional methods. The age of the ministers is the most important factor influencing their attitude toward family planning and sex education. The younger ministers tend to show more positive attitudes toward family planning and sex education. The denominations are also important factors influencing the attitudes and knowledge about family planning and sex education. Most ministers, particularly younger ministers, were dealing with sex problems in someway in church services. About one third of the ministers were dealing with sex education very actively in church services. Many ministers showed very liberal attitudes about marriage. The most important factor for selecting a daughter or son-in-law was their religious belief.
Attitude ; Christianity ; Family Planning* ; Korea ; Marriage* ; Religion and Sex* ; Sex Education*

The purpose of this paper is to overview the life of John W. Heron, M. D. who was the first appointed medical missionary to Korea by the Presbyterian Church USA. Although he was a competent doctor as well as a devoted missionary, he is not well-known yet, because he died early after 5 years' service in Korea. Dr. Heron was born in Derbyshire, England on June 15, 1856. His father, Rev. E. S. Heron, was a Scotch Minister of Congregational Church. His family emigrated to America in 1870 when he was fourteen years old and settled in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1881, he was admitted to the University of Tennessee Medical School and graduated with highest honors in 1883. After training in New York University Hospital, he refused the offer of professorship from the University of Tennessee to become a medical missionary to Korea. He arrived in Seoul on June 21, 1885 and began to work in Royal Government Hospital, Chejungwon, the predecessor of Severance Hospital. In 1887, he became the superintendent of the Hospital following Dr. Horace N. Allen. He also worked for the Royal family and sometimes traveled to the rural areas to care for the patients. He started Chejungwon Church which later became Namdaemoon Presbyterian Church. In 1887, Dr. Heron worked as a member of the Bible translation committee and in 1889, he was elected as the chairman of the Public Committee of the Presbyterian Churches. In 1890, he established 'The Korean Religious Tract Society (Chosunsyungkyoseohoi) with Underwood and Ohlinger. The society published and replenished Christian books, periodical magazines and booklets. In the Summer of 1890, Dr. Heron did his best to take care of the sick suffering from an epidemic dysentery and himself got infected because of the terrible overwork. He passed away on July 26th, 1890. On his deathbed, he told his soldier and native friends around him as follow: "Jesus loves you. He gave His life for you. Stand by Him!" The martyrdom of Dr. Heron should be remembered in the Korean history of mission, because he was the first victim among the foreign missionaries who had lived and worked in Seoul for Korean mission. Dr. Heron's mind of love, service and devotion should be remembered by the medical doctors working today in caring for the patients suffering from physical and spiritual illnesses.
English Abstract ; History of Medicine, 19th Cent. ; Hospitals, Religious/*history ; Korea ; Missions and Missionaries/*history ; *Religion and Medicine ; United States

INTRODUCTION: This study explored attitudes towards vasectomy and its acceptance as a method of contraception among clinical-year medical students, and determined the association between their demographic characteristics, and attitudes and acceptance. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among clinical-year medical students from a Malaysian private medical college using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: There were 330 participants with a female preponderance and a mean age of 22.0 ± 1.1 years. The largest proportion of respondents were from Year 3. The vast majority were ethnically Malay (91.8%) and followed Islam (92.4%). Overall, 60.9% of participants had a positive attitude towards vasectomy and 76.0% showed good acceptance. Gender, academic year, ethnicity and religion variables were not associated with attitudes and acceptance (p > 0.05). A significantly higher proportion of male respondents thought that vasectomy was religiously forbidden and would give a bad impression. A significantly higher proportion of Year 5 students agreed to the statement 'I would recommend vasectomy to relatives, friends and people close to me' compared to Year 3 and 4 students. CONCLUSION Students' perception of vasectomy as a contraceptive method was encouraging. Our results suggest that their knowledge improved as medical training progressed, and attitudes evolved for the better irrespective of their traditional, cultural and religious beliefs - highlighting the importance of providing students with evidence-based learning about male sterilisation, which is more cost-effective and is associated with lower morbidity than female sterilisation. A qualitative study involving students from different ethnicities and religions would provide a better understanding of this subject.
Adult ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Contraception ; methods ; psychology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Malaysia ; Male ; Religion and Medicine ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vasectomy ; psychology ; Young Adult

PIP: This presentation focuses on the involvement of the Church in the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign. The Church believes in the sacredness of life in every person and in a human dignity that needs to be respected. Therefore, people with AIDS should not be condemned, avoided, or rejected. The Church also points out the importance of HIV/AIDS awareness education in explaining the meaning of human sexuality in the context of marriage and religious teaching. Young people are also challenged to be faithful to their Christian valuesparticularly those of respect, sacrifice, discipline, and responsible sexual behavior. Due to the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS situation, both the Church and the government should take up the responsibility to prevent the spread of these diseases. Moreover, in addition to medical programs, Church-related organizations will continue to provide psychological, social, and economic support as well as counseling services.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -psychology ; Endemic Diseases - prevention & ; control ; Mental Healing ; Papua New Guinea - epidemiology ; Religion and Medicine ; Self-Help Groups - organization & ; administration ; Stress, Psychological - prevention & ; control

No abstract available.
Bible ; China ; Christianity*/history ; Education, Medical*/history ; Europe ; History of Medicine, 18th Cent. ; History of Medicine, 19th Cent. ; History of Medicine, Ancient ; History of Medicine, Medieval ; India ; Religion and Medicine*