%0 Journal Article %A Scott A Murray %A Marilyn Kendall %A Kirsty Boyd %A Allison Worth %A T Fred Benton %T General practitioners and their possible role in providing spiritual care: a qualitative study. %D 2003 %J British Journal of General Practice %P 957-959 %V 53 %N 497 %X 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. %U https://bjgp.org/content/bjgp/53/497/957.full.pdf