SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE SACRED DIMENSION IN MEDICINE: SUPPRESSION, PHYSICIAN BURNOUT AND CRISIS OF MEANING

GUILHERME DE LIMA MEIRELES; Efraim Almeida Fernandes; ADRIANA SANTI; Sara Luiza Dal Piaz; Leandro Bontempo de Assis Miranda; Heitor Rodrigues Luiz Esteves

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

Título do Trabalho

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE SACRED DIMENSION IN MEDICINE: SUPPRESSION, PHYSICIAN BURNOUT AND CRISIS OF MEANING

Autores

GUILHERME DE LIMA MEIRELES
Efraim Almeida Fernandes
ADRIANA SANTI
Sara Luiza Dal Piaz
Leandro Bontempo de Assis Miranda
Heitor Rodrigues Luiz Esteves

Modalidade

Resumo

Área temática

Saúde e Espiritualidade

Data de Publicação

21/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/xxvii-fiamc-world-congress-for-catholic-physicians-abstract-session-688844/1510476-systematic-review-of-the-sacred-dimension-in-medicine--suppression-physician-burnout-and-crisis-of-meaning

ISBN

978-65-272-2684-0

Palavras-Chave

Spirituality, Sacred Dimension, Physician Burnout, Crisis of Meaning, Medical Practice, Religion and Medicine, Vocational Crisis, Systematic Review

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: Contemporary medicine, influenced by industrialization and scientism, has progressively distanced itself from its historically sacralized foundation. Care has shifted from a moral sphere capable of discerning Good and Evil toward a utilitarian model that treats suffering primarily as a technical problem, contributing to patient dehumanization, vocational emptiness, and high rates of caregiver burnout. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review how the suppression of the sacred as the foundational element of care has generated a crisis of meaning among contemporary physicians, evidenced by professional exhaustion, patient dehumanization, and loss of vocational purpose. METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, supplemented by primary classical sources without date restriction. The search combined MeSH terms for physician burnout with terms for spirituality and religion in medicine. Inclusion criteria: empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025 and foundational theoretical works directly addressing the suppression of the sacred dimension and its consequences for physician well-being and clinical practice. Exclusion criteria removed studies unrelated to the central theme or with insufficient methodological rigor. A total of 51 records were identified in the primary electronic search. RESULTS: The synthesized literature consistently shows that religious involvement and spirituality are associated with better health outcomes, greater longevity, improved coping skills, and lower prevalence of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Validated clinical instruments allow spiritual anamnesis to be integrated into routine consultations in under five minutes, demonstrating practical feasibility. Recent data indicate burnout, anxiety, or depression in 47% of physicians (2025, n>5,700) and approximately 45% of Brazilian physicians — rates comparable to pandemic peaks. The progressive suppression of the sacred foundation, consolidated by 20th-century scientism, has produced structural acedia: a medicine that functions technically but lacks deeper meaning. Burnout emerges not only as exhaustion but as a measurable symptom of practice detached from its sacred roots. CONCLUSION: The crisis of meaning in contemporary medicine is a direct consequence of excluding the sacred as the ontological foundation of care, producing technically competent yet vocationally unsupported physicians. Reintegrating the sacred dimension is essential, not optional, to restore the full human and vocational sense of medicine. These findings urge Catholic physicians to actively promote spirituality as a core strategy against burnout and for holistic patient care aligned with the Social Doctrine of the Church.

Título do Evento: XXVII FIAMC World Congress for Catholic Physicians - ABSTRACT SESSION
Cidade do Evento: Brasília
Título dos Anais do Evento: Proceedings of the XXVII FIAMC World Congress of Catholic Physicians and VI Brazilian Congress of Catholic Physicians
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital

Como citar

MEIRELES, GUILHERME DE LIMA et al.. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE SACRED DIMENSION IN MEDICINE: SUPPRESSION, PHYSICIAN BURNOUT AND CRISIS OF MEANING.. In: Proceedings of the XXVII FIAMC World Congress of Catholic Physicians and VI Brazilian Congress of Catholic Physicians. Anais...Brasília(DF) Casa Dom Luciano, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/xxvii-fiamc-world-congress-for-catholic-physicians-abstract-session-688844/1510476-SYSTEMATIC-REVIEW-OF-THE-SACRED-DIMENSION-IN-MEDICINE--SUPPRESSION-PHYSICIAN-BURNOUT-AND-CRISIS-OF-MEANING. Acesso em: 11/09/2026