La connaissance des rites mortuaires en services desoins : un enjeu éthique

This article is presented in two parts. The first part reports results of a survey conducted in a polyvalent intensive care unit at the Amiens University Hospital on the topic: “Do hospital personnel, and in particular health care givers, have all the necessary information for apprehending and respecting certain mortuary rites”. The second part is a reflection on this subject which raises three issues: respect of human dignity, the notion of lay activity, and the principle of neutrality. The discussion includes comments on the history of religion in France, a recall on the legal regulations concerning lay activities in hospitals and the principle of neutrality and a more personal point of view in an attempt to obtain more precise knowledge about the implications for hospital personnel coping with these principles.