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Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)

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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00179491
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : September 16, 2005
Last Update Posted : November 4, 2007
Sponsor:
Collaborators:
John Templeton Foundation
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center
Medstar Health Research Institute
Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation
Mayo Clinic
Information provided by:
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Study Description
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Brief Summary:
Intercessory prayer is widely believed to influence recovery from illness, but claims of benefits are not supported by well-controlled clinical trials. Prior studies have not addressed whether prayer itself or knowledge/certainty that prayer is being provided may influence outcome. We evaluated whether (1) receiving intercessory prayer or (2) being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer Phase 3

Detailed Description:
Intercessory prayer is widely believed to influence recovery from illness, but claims of benefits are not supported by well-controlled clinical trials. Prior studies have not addressed whether prayer itself or knowledge/certainty that prayer is being provided may influence outcome. We evaluated whether (1) receiving intercessory prayer or (2) being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
Study Design
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Study Type : Interventional  (Clinical Trial)
Actual Enrollment : 1802 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP)
Study Start Date : April 1998
Actual Study Completion Date : November 2001

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Arms and Interventions
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Arm Intervention/treatment
Active Comparator: Group 1
604 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayers (Group 1)
 Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer
14 days of intercessory prayer from 3 sites
No Intervention: 2
597 patients did not receive prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayer (Group 2)
Experimental: Group 3
601 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive it (Group 3).
 Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer
14 days of intercessory prayer from 3 sites


Outcome Measures
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Primary Outcome Measures :
  1. Whether receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. [ Time Frame: 30 days ]

Secondary Outcome Measures :
  1. Whether being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. [ Time Frame: 30 days ]

Eligibility Criteria
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Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older   (Adult, Older Adult)
Sexes Eligible for Study:   All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to read or understand English

Exclusion criteria:

  • Scheduled for emergent CABG (next available operating room slot)
  • CABG more than 14 days after enrollment
  • Other planned surgery within 30 days of CABG
  • Minimally invasive CABG (non full sternotomy incisions)
  • CABG with planned valve replacement, stent, angioplasty or carotid endarterectomy
  • Or had ongoing chest pain or unstable angina, as defined by their physicians
Contacts and Locations
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Information from the National Library of Medicine

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00179491


Sponsors and Collaborators
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John Templeton Foundation
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center
Medstar Health Research Institute
Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation
Mayo Clinic
Investigators
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Principal Investigator: Herbert Benson, MD Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mind/Body Medical Institute
More Information
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00179491    
Other Study ID Numbers: 2001-P-002125
First Posted: September 16, 2005    Key Record Dates
Last Update Posted: November 4, 2007
Last Verified: November 2007
Keywords provided by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center:
coronary artery bypass grafting surgery