Running Head: HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND FAITH DIVERSITY
Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity
Kris Pearson
Grand Canyon University
HLT 302
February 12, 2011
Different religious groups have different believe system in the provision of the healthcare. The health personnel such as doctors and nurses should be aware of the religious beliefs of their patients for effectively delivering medical care. In provision of medical care, religious faith and beliefs of the patient is incorporated with the scientific medical care in offering a holistic medical to the patients. The medical personnel should take into the consideration the religious belief of the patient in the course of offering medical care to the patient. The
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Christians believe that when they die, they will go to heaven if they had lived according to will of God while in earth. The Buddha believes in rebirth after one dies and thus the patients see sickness and death as a stage in life where every person has to undergo through hence the patient in both religion see death not as the end but as a start of new life. Another similarity that exists between the Buddhism and Christianity religions is the moral precepts in Buddhism and commandments in Christianity. These moral codes in both religions help the patient to make choices on medical care given to him. In both religion for instance, procuring abortion is seen as murder and hence prohibited in both religions (Young & Koopsen, 2006). The differences the personal shared with me; was the belief between the Christianity and Buddhism in provision of medial care lie in practices of yoga and mediation by Buddha. The Buddha practices yoga to attain self confidence and the optimism that enables the patient to reduce suffering which he is undergoing. In Christianity on the other hand yoga is not practiced. In both Buddhism and Christianity, there are critical component of healing such as prayers, meditation, belief and yoga. In holistic medical care, the medical personnel must take care of all aspect of the patient which includes the body, the emotions and the spiritual. The doctors and nurses should ensure that that they offer all necessary support that is
A major theme they both share is that healing is a holistic process. Healing is not done by exclusively looking at physical symptoms, but by incorporating the physical with mental and spiritual. This can be done through encouragement, prayer, and building a meaningful relationship with the patient. By addressing things like fear, doubt, and loneliness it allows them to truly feel comforted and this promotes healing. The trust and intimacy formed between patient and caregiver is important when addressing non-physical needs. For religious people their faith is a large part of their identity and this should be considered when looking after
We reflecting the author’s own culture, she like many people in the United States are a blend of many different cultures and ethnicity. By not having one single ethnic culture her family views health traditions based on their religion of Christian Scientist. Being raised in this religion molded views of health promotion, prevention and treatment that influence her health behaviors today. There is a difference of opinion between Christian Science and traditional medical views. “Christian Scientist interpret disease from a spiritual view where medicine interprets disease from a material point of view” (Stoddard, 2010). As a child our family was raised with the belief that good nutrition, physical activity, and the role of positive thinking and mind over matter, would provide health and help us remain strong and healthy. Not having over the counter medications or turning to traditional medicine for simple medical issues was chosen as our families way of viewing illness. Growing up with the view of health and illness as spiritual using techniques such as meditation, prayer and positive thinking, has stayed as a health tradition among our families beliefs and practices to this day. Today modern medicine is looking at the mind as a valuable tool to prepare persons and bodys for wellness and rehabilitation. An example of this would be biofeedback. This is a technique where people are
This paper provides a comprehensive look at the following faiths: Buddhism, Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity. The reader will find that Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion that focuses on the mind as being the creator of illness and health. The reader will also find that Judaism, Baha’i, and Christianity are all religions that believe in one God, the creator of all. This paper lists various components that each of these faiths may use at one time or another to effect healing including prayer, meditation, chanting, the use of healers, etc. This paper also defines what is important to people
The United States has always been the symbol of freedom of religion and health care today has needed to increase its knowledge in incorporating the many different religions/spiritual beliefs in order to provide a more holistic approach to care. As health care providers we should not look in validating our own practice in regards to religion or spirituality but to comprehend and learn to see the patterns of similarities and differences in order to provide holistic care to our patients. As religious and spiritual beliefs are never permanent and are constantly changing and/or influenced by government, thinkers, historical events, technology and the shifting values of cultures the study of religions/spirituality should be continuous for all health care providers. The Native American, Buddhism, and Sikhism have some similar traits and values imbedded in their practiced religions that resemble the Christian Faith and medical providers needs to be aware and able to accommodate them in order to provide holistic care.
In today’s society, it is very important for the healthcare professional to be educated about the culture of their patients. It can be seen that the number of patients who are Muslim are increasing throughout the healthcare system. It is challenging for healthcare workers to care for the needs of Muslim patients when they don’t understand their cultural beliefs. Muslims don’t necessarily have the same health beliefs, outcomes, or priorities that their providers have, therefore making it more difficult to come to a final healthcare decision (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) “This intercultural gap in understanding between clients and providers may result in poor care services and low levels of satisfaction” (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) Muslims are
Unlikely, Buddhism and Shintoism view their critical components of healing from different perspective than Christianity. According to Buddhist, their healing takes place by use of blessed pills, blessed water and herbal medicine that prepared with extensive prayers and mantras by their spiritual leader known as Rimpoche. As part of the healing Buddhists also use a method called visualization. For example, visualization of a ball of white light above oneself who is ill, which directs the image of white lights spreading through one’s body will dissolve away all sickness and problems. Some other components of healing in Buddhism includes use of Buddha figures in imagination while perform visualization; meditation by breath in and breath out;
The world is diverse with different religious views, trying to quench the thirst of human spirituality needs. Knowing a different faith system will help a person to have a broader worldview and update their cultural competency. This paper compares the worldviews of Christianity and Buddhism based on “Sire’s Seven Worldview Questions”, to describe spiritual healing in both systems. It also explains the important factors to be considered when care is delivered by providers of different faith. The lessons learned from the study is also explained.
Worldview is regarded as the crucial basis of reality and is dominant among culture. It consists of classes, norms as well as values that provide an overview by which is observed as an overview that people use to examine the universe. As a result of unique wide perspective associated with worldview that everybody has, there are evidences of similarities within communities, family setups and among the culture. (Shelly, 2006). Worldview can also be influenced by the spiritual nature of individuals as this requires a consideration so as to take a person’s holistic care. These postmodern and scientific models of philosophy are the current factor that hinders the total spiritual approval in healthcare. Faith in me
Cultural diversity in the health care setting is increasing each year. Knowing how to care for patients of different religious and spiritual faiths is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. The author of this paper will research three lesser-known religions; Taoism, Sikhism and Shamanism. Through this paper, she will provide a brief background on each of the three religions and present information regarding spiritual perspectives on healing, critical components of healing and health care considerations associated with each religion.
In providing basic health care in hospitals, medical practitioners should not only focus on giving physical treatment to patients but also provide spiritual and psychological assessment and management for them. This practice as suggested by many studies (see Chapman, 2003; Eberst, n.d.,) can help the hospitals develop a new method of healing that is more holistic in approach. The Joint Commission (2005) recommends spiritual assessment program which can help the medical officers to know the needs of the patients aside from the usual physical treatment. It will help them
Intercessory prayer should not be supported in the field of medicine because religion should be independent from a medical practitioner’s field of work. Praying is defined as the religious act towards worshiping a deity and medicine is defined as the act of healing others. The fundamental definitions for both of these terms are completely opposite, which is the reason for great discrepancy between the two methods. Although, many argue that intercessory prayer may lead to healing, combining religion and medicine just results into several controversial issues. Another glaring
Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread contemporaneously in during the Classical Period different territories. Both of them share some similarities as well as differences. Both of these religions were founded based upon different principles taught by different people; in Buddhism’s case Gautama Buddha a thinker and in Christianity’s it is Jesus Christ who is a prophet. These two universal doctrines spread in times of chaos, in which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of any kind. Although alike these two doctrines didn’t have a
For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and
Tibetan medicine practices the belief that methods must be practiced as equally as they are learned academically. Misinterpretations of certain Buddhist aspects of Eastern medicine create difficulties in relating Eastern and Western principles. Some Westerners feel that all you need to practice medicine in the East is a strong sense of compassion to help people, without having any real knowledge of the medical practices: “A few weekend courses and all the good intentions in the world it would seem is all that is thought to be necessary.” (Dummer p. 11). This, however, is not the case at all. Eastern practitioners spend years learning medical procedures and techniques before going into practice. They are also fully educated in the spiritual aspects of medicine as well, as for religion plays a significant role in Eastern practices. Inadequate training may result in improper care and detrimental diagnosis to those who may be seriously ill or suffering from undiagnosed diseases.7