ABSTRACT
To observe the frequency and various modes of faith / spiritual healing adopted by patients admitted with surgical diseases and their effects on course of disease. Prospective, observational. Surgical Department Aziz Bhatti Shaheed [Teaching] Hospital Gujrat, and Surgical department Islam Medicaland Dental College Sialkot. Duration of study: January 2013 to June 2013. Patients of both sex and all age groups admitted surgical wards of in both study setting during the study period were included in the study. Unattended/non cooperative and patients with trauma were excluded. Their surgical problems were evaluated and recorded. Various techniques of spiritual/ faith healing being adopted by the patients either as primary or /and an adjuvant modality were noted and resulted formulated. A total of 953 patients with surgical problems were admitted in both study settings. 788 patients [82.68%] were found to be using one or another technique of faith /spiritual healing as a primary or/ and an adjuvant to medical treatment. Out of total 788 patients 414 [52.53%] were female, no much difference of adaptation of various spiritual/faith healing was found in literate and illiterate population. This practice of adopting spiritual/faith healing was more common in rural population [n=493 62.56%]. Trust on faith/ spiritual healing techniques is a common phenomenon in society, but it is a commonest known reason of late presentation, diagnosis, treatment of the diseases leading to poor outcome. One must trust Allah, and it is consistent to apply every remedy that comes with in the range of one's knowledge, and then to ask Allah to sanctify that application to the healing of ailment. Religious scholars, electronic as well as print media can play a vital role in making people aware of this fact that will eventually lead to early diagnosis, treatment and better outcome of various body ailmentsand treatment by faith healers is independent predictors of death in case of snake bite. This may provide important evidence to formulate preventive strategies especially health education