Program
Physician Assistant M.S.
Year Approved
2018
First Advisor
Ekbom, Greg
Abstract
For centuries, the use of artificial birth control has been a highly debated topic across different religions and this debate continues to remain strong today. Living in a country made up of diverse cultural backgrounds and beliefs, religious differences may influence the way practitioners and patients interact with each other when it comes to a variety of medical issues, especially contraception. There is little research, however, that has been done to evaluate for a significant correlation between religious views of practitioners and their tendencies to prescribe contraceptives to patients. A questionnaire was distributed to the Association of Physician Assistants in Obstetrics and Gynecology (APAOG) to determine what impact, if any, the religious affiliations and beliefs of medical practitioners have on the prescribing of long-term contraceptive options to patients. The study included questions regarding demographics, religious backgrounds, prescribing habits of practitioners, and religious influence on patient-practitioner interactions relating to contraception. Twenty-four (24) participants responded to the survey, but only 17 participants fully completed the survey. Of the 17 participants, religious views were widely varied, with the majority of participants identifying as Protestant (41.2%). Upon analysis, there was statistical significance found between the participants perceived importance of religion on their everyday medical practice and the conversations they have with patients in regard to contraception (p= 0.00). Other analyses, including specific religion and influence of religious views on conversations and prescribing of contraception, were not found to be statistically significant. Despite the statistical significance found on analysis, researchers are not convinced there is a correlation between religious views and the prescribing of contraception. Due to the small sample size, this study served as a starting point for the exploration of the influence religious values have on the prescribing of contraceptive methods. This study would benefit from future research expanding on the topic.
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Physician Assistant
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Overby, A. M., & Westling, K. (2018). The Impact of Religious Beliefs of Medical Practitioners on the Prescribing of Contraceptives [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/495