Women with HIV: Conflicts and synergy of prayer within the realm of medical care

In a recent survey of women with HIV, prayer was mentioned as a very import ant source in decision making about HIV antiretroviral therapy. As a follow -up to this finding, we conducted in-depth interviews with 51 women attendi ng a comprehensive HIV care center to better understand the role of prayer in their decisions about taking antiretroviral therapy. The sample consiste d predominately of African American (80%) women with a median age of 31 yea rs from St. Louis and surrounding areas. Forty-seven (92%) reported that pr ayer was an important source for HIV medication decision making, with 30 (5 9%) considering prayer more important than the physician. Twenty-nine (57%) perceived a qualitative difference between prayer and the physician, which created a sense of conflict for some. Thirty (59%) wished that the physici an knew more about the role of prayer in their lives. Our findings reveal c ompelling issues: (a) the willingness of the women to talk about prayer as a resource and its importance in HIV disease management, (b) the roles that prayer and the physician play in HIV medication decision-making, and (c) w ays prayer can be addressed in a medical setting.