The following study conducted on a hemodialysis program at a public university hospital in Rio de Janeiro investigated a group of doctors' perceptions of the role played by their patients' religiosity in their attitudes towards illness and treatment. The Moscovici Theory of Social Representations was used as a theoretical basis and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the discourse of the collective subject (DCS) as methodology. The discourses reveal a recognition of the presence and importance of religious beliefs in the context of medical care. Such beliefs were also valued as a resource both for patients dealing with the psychological difficulties of facing illness and for doctors coping with the difficult situations experienced in professional practice. The findings also revealed difficulties in talking about the subject with patients and silence among fellow doctors. The results indicate the need for further reflective discussion on the subject in the group investigated, a lack of higher education investment into medical training with regard to religious issues, and the need for a wider dissemination of works published on the subject among physicians.
Perception; Religion; Diálise Renal; Patient Care; Medical Education