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

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Group 1
604 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayers (Group 1)
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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)
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Experimental: Group 3
601 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive it (Group 3).
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Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer
14 days of intercessory prayer from 3 sites |
- Whether receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. [ Time Frame: 30 days ]
- Whether being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. [ Time Frame: 30 days ]

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

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
Principal Investigator: | Herbert Benson, MD | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mind/Body Medical Institute |
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 |
coronary artery bypass grafting surgery |