Introduction:

This article reports research on a conducted at a public university hospital in Rio de Janeiro. We understand the human being as a biopsychosocial being. Thus, there is opportunity to investigate cultural components that can influence people when they are coping diseases. The perceptions of a group of physicians regarding their patients’s religious beliefs, as well as the inclusion of the subject in medical training were investigated. The research highlights the presence of cultural characteristics of some groups of people, such as believing in something that transcends the natural reality and that can take many forms.

Methods:

A total of 41 physicians were interviewed through semi-structured, open-ended interviews addressing opinions, behaviors, and attitudes regarding religious and spiritual beliefs and their role in the care context. The Theory of Social Representations of Moscovici as the theoretical base and the Collective Subject Discourse (DSC) as the methodological approach.

Results:

The discourses revealed of the investigated group’s perception that there was no training in medical education to deal with the topic. On the other hand, experience in care led them to the perception that beliefs make up the profile of many patients, and these may be relevant in medical work. Educational activities and consultation of the scientific literature previously produced on this topic were not part of the training. The encounter with reality has been carried out based on “good sense” of the medical professional based on personal and professional experiences.

Conclusion:

The discourses show that dealing with patients’ beliefs has been carried out with difficulties in medical practice, even when working in a university hospital that produces research and constantly encourages scientific updates. In the absence of qualified conceptual support for the medical practice, the individuals strive to learn through professional exchanges and through their own study initiatives. It is, therefore, an issue that demands an appropriate response in the context of medical training.

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