An examination of healthcare workers' approach to the human body from the perspective of the sociology of religion

This research aims to examine the role of religious concepts in healthcare professionals' approach to the body from a sociological perspective. Within the scope of the study, the relationship between healthcare professionals and religion, the reflections of this relationship on their approach to patients and the body, are examined, particularly in the context of concepts such as ethics, morality, privacy, trust, empathy, and responsibility, where the human body is intensely confronted with boundary experiences such as birth, death, and legal responsibility. It is examined specifically in the fields of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Intensive Care, and Forensic Medicine. These fields form the focus of the research as they treat the body not only as a biomedical object but also as a social phenomenon imbued with religious, moral and cultural meanings The study adopted a qualitative research method and used a phenomenological design. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with a total of 12 healthcare professionals working at Malatya İnönü University Turgut Özal Medical Center, including four specialists from each of the three branches. The data obtained from the interviews were subjected to content analysis using description, analysis, and interpretation techniques. The findings of the study reveal that healthcare professionals' approach to the human body is shaped not only by professional knowledge but also by their individual belief systems, moral references, and cultural codes. It was observed that religious concepts such as privacy, rights, trust, consent, reward, sin, and guilt were incorporated into ethical decision-making processes at varying levels in participants' perceptions of the body. According to the findings, while religion serves as an inclusive "umbrella concept" for professionals with a high perception of religiosity, it was determined that for some professionals, religion has become individualized within modern professional life, transforming into an indirect frame of reference through concepts such as ethics, conscience, and responsibility. The study also examines the new ethical tensions created by technological developments and social media use on patient privacy and the self-control mechanisms of healthcare professionals in this process. In conclusion, the research highlights that in medical practice, the body is a multi-layered reality beyond being a biological entity, and emphasizes the need for institutional standards in healthcare that prioritize human dignity and are sensitive to religious and cultural sensitivities.