“Doctor, will you pray for me?”

Abstract This chapter examines how doctors can more fully recognize the importance of spiritual issues, especially when death looms, but in other situations, too, more fully recognizing chaplains’ value. Ultimately, chaplains are limited in number, and doctors, nurses, and others should therefore possess skills to address, even if briefly, patients’ spiritual concerns, particularly when patients raise these, even if just to make referrals to chaplains. Patients and families frequently do not even know that chaplains exist, or feel empowered to request one. Doctors should be better able to address these topics and refer patients to chaplains when needed. Efforts to train providers have started, but can be bolstered. Courses in the humanities address some of these issues, but specific targeted skills and knowledge are also vital.