TY - JOUR T1 - General practitioners and their possible role in providing spiritual care: a qualitative study. JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 957 LP - 959 VL - 53 IS - 497 AU - Scott A Murray AU - Marilyn Kendall AU - Kirsty Boyd AU - Allison Worth AU - T Fred Benton Y1 - 2003/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/53/497/957.abstract N2 - We interviewed the general practitioners (GPs) of 40 patients with life-threatening illnesses over the course of the last year of life. We asked them to identify their patients' holistic needs, and to discuss whether they considered that they had a role in providing 'spiritual care'. The GPs varied greatly in their understanding of their patients' experiences and needs. Most said that they had a role in providing spiritual care, but hesitated to raise spiritual issues with patients, mentioning lack of time, a feeling that they should wait for a cue, or being unprepared or unskilled. ER -