Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity: Final Draft
Abstract
The concept of spirituality has gained popularity in healthcare. Faith and spirituality are core
components that define people and shape their experiences. This paper implements feedback
from the previous works to provide valuable insights into the unique needs, customs, and
rituals that can be integrated in healthcare. The paper aims at addressing the seven world
view questions and to provide a summary of the comparative analysis of the various belief
systems. The spiritual perspectives on healing will be addressed. The critical healing
components common to all beliefs will be discussed. Additionally, important factors to
consider when caring for patients from a particular faith that differ from healthcare providers
will be explored. The paper concludes with a reflective summary describing ways the insights
gained can be applied into practice.
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Address Several of the Worldview Questions
A world view refers to the way of thinking about reality. It entails summing up people’s
basic assumptions about meaning of life. To determine personal worldview, one should
answer the following seven questions.
- What is prime reality?
- What is the nature of the world around us?
- What is a human being?
- What happens to a person at death?
- Why is it possible to know anything at all?
- How do we know what is right or wrong?
- What is the meaning of human history?
According to my personal world view, the prime reality is that we all believe in a Supreme
Being. In my case, I believe there is God, who rules the universe. According to our doctrines,
the world was created in six days. We have a personal relationship to this world as man was
ordered by God in the Garden of Aden to till the land and multiply, and fill the land (Genesis
1: 26). Therefore, Human beings were made in the image of God. In Christianity doctrines,
when a believer dies, one is resting with the angels. We believe that the soul is immortal and
continues to live after death (Acts 2:29, 34). It is possible for human beings to know
anything. This is attributable to the fact that were made in the image of God, thus, he has
granted this wisdom (Genesis 1: 27).
I am also aware of the processes of evolution and its association with increased intelligence
and consciousness. I am a deontologist supporter. Therefore, I believe that there is nothing
right or wrong in the world. These ate notions developed by socio-cultural pressures for
survival. Human history begins when one’s understand their purpose on earth. As Christians,
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we believe that our purpose is to serve people and to help them live in harmony (Philippians
2:1-30).
Comparative Analysis of the Different Belief Systems
In Christianity, God is the Supreme Being and is believed to be omnipresent. Christians
believe they were made in the image of God. He is the healer and comforter (Psalms 103:2-
5). Christians lacks the concept of self. They are individuals whose souls are bound, and will
be redeemed by the return of Jesus Christ. Therefore, their faith is driven by their
relationship with man and God.
This is the only religion that worships the Supreme Being who loved the humanity that he
gave his son, to live with them, understand their sufferings and to intercede for them. They
believe in doctrines of sins, and the ultimate wage for sin if not repented is death. This is
often associated with emotional insecurity especially in Christians who have had estranged
lifestyles before (Hardman-Smith, 2013). The Christian spirituality doctrine supports
repentance and forgiveness; good healing anchors that nurse could be utilized to build and
strengthen the patient’s hopes once more. Christianity also teaches on issues of kindness,
love and empathy towards the suffering; e.g. the story of the Good Samaritan (Hardman-
Smith, 2013).
On the other hand, Buddhist believes that life begun spontaneously. In Buddhist, the greatest
physician is Buddha. Buddha has skills to diagnose and administer treatment in a spiritual
manner. Buddhist highly values the self-concept, which is transformed from mental and
physical forces. This is an important factor during healing processes. Suffering is associated
with the four noble of truths. They believe in meditation and prayers. Buddhism critical
component of spirituality in healthcare is that the community must take care of the sick.
According to their teaching, he who attends the sick attends must be kind, compassionate and
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understanding. These are universal and important or core factors when attending patients
from the different spirituality (Probst, 2014).
Spiritual Perspective on Healing
The holistic model of healing have three spheres including mind, body and spirit. In
spiritual healing, it is the third realm (spirit) that is considered. Healing the spirit have
positive effect of the body and the mind. This is a broad topic, but the specific approaches to
healing includes healing liturgies, faith healing, laying of hands, anointing with oil and
music meditation. The growing demand of spiritual healing has made the medical
community to integrate some of the critical components of healing in their therapeutic
interventions. The most common critical components of religion in healthcare include prayer,
meditation as well as patient’s belief. These are important as they influence the patient’s
perception of a disease; and have been found to affect the decision making processes.
Additionally, spirituality shapes the patient coping ability (Allan, 2014).
What patients consider important when being cared for by providers with different
spiritual beliefs
Receiving care from healthcare providers with different spiritual beliefs makes a patient feel
uncomfortable. The healthcare providers must assess all issues that they consider valuable
during their treatment regimen. The patient’s autonomy must be respected. Disregarding
patient beliefs could lead to dissatisfaction. If the patient is not comfortable to be attended by
the healthcare provider, the nurse manage must make arrangements to ensure that she gets a
nurse whom they share values and beliefs (Hardman-Smith, 2013).
Creating a healing environment
Additionally, this course work has facilitated my understanding of healing hospital as
described by Laurie in Arizona Medical Centre healing hospital report. These includes the
physical environments which are set up in a manner that they promote the patients as well as
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their relatives to cope including less noise disturbances as the patients’ needs ample rests to
recuperate (Probst, 2014). Additionally, healing hospital must combine technology with the
work design. This is because it facilitates the healthcare providers to deliver their care more
efficiently. This includes activities such as assigning bank elevators to facilitate easy
movement of the patients in critical conditions and the healthcare providers. This helps in
maintaining patient’s dignity as well as the preservation if the patients privacy- improving the
healing process (Hardman-Smith, 2013).
The integration of recent medical devices, healthcare informatics and nursing informatics
yield efficiency and effective delivery of services. On the other hand, I have also learnt the
challenges to anticipate when establishing a healing environment (Marriage, 2013). These
includes staff shortages which could result to nurse burnout and lack of adequate facilities
that will help give the nurses a healing environment too. Some of the factors that might affect
the concept of spirituality include scarcity of time, lack of patient knowledge and low
experiences in managing spirituality discussions with the patients (Allan, 2014). There are
incidences where the patient may want to impose their faith or beliefs to the care provider.
For instance, consider a patient requesting a non-religious patient to pray. For instance; at my
work place, we have very short breaks, and there lacks a mediation place. There lacks
motivational factors which could be affecting out productivity. I will definitely share the
insights achieved with my colleagues; there is just so much that we can learn from this unit-
important concepts often overlooked by most healthcare facilities (Hardman-Smith, 2013).
Reflective summary
This course has improved my understanding the role of spirituality at people’s place of work.
I have always approached the concept of spirituality with a lot of uneasiness and tension; but
from my interaction with the other assignment has enabled me note that my perspective of
estranged relationship between healthcare and religion is not a reflective of what is expected
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in the field. I have learnt that integrating spirituality in healthcare serves the best interests of
the patients (Hardman-Smith, 2013).Therefore, introduction to the worldview was important
as it has enable me understand how to approach patients from different cultural and religious
background; such that I can now establish a fruitful interaction with the patient- promoting
holistic healing process.
In the topic of the phenomenology of illness and disease, it is interesting to learn that
suffering, pain as well as disease has features that are universal in human beings; and that
their magnitude is influenced heavily by the person’s race, social status, gender as well as
religion. By reading Lev Tolstoy book The Death of Ivan Illych, I now understand the
universal elements of disease, illness as well as death. The analysis of the Called to care text
book was informative and phenomenon too. I have learnt that my perspectives about religion
would influence the relationship with the patient. I have learnt not to underestimate the
patients faith and the religious systems, nor should I impose my faith or believes on the
patient (Probst, 2014).
Altogether, learning this unit has enable me understand that patients especially those
diagnosed with chronic diseases and are at the end of life stage have crisis of identity. In this
context, spirituality must be integrated in care as it entails the search of the lost identity as
well as the search of meaning. From the evidence based research, it is evident that spirituality
is a coping strategy for most patients (Russell, 2013).
Conclusion
Therefore, every healthcare providers, especially the nurses are expected to integrate the
patients culture and spirituality in the patients care plan, and when making health decisions.
Additionally, the healthcare providers should not neglect their spiritual wellbeing or
psychological health. Maintaining a healthy environment for nursing is important as nurse’s
work in stressful environments; and is exposed to patient sufferings as well as death. This
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unit reminds me of the importance of staying in touch with my religion and feelings that add
value as well as meaning to my life- while dedicating care to others.
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References
Allan, F. (2014). The Essential Guide to Religious Traditions and Spirituality for Health Care
Providers Jeffers Steven , Nelson Michael , Barnet Vera et al The Essential Guide to
Religious Traditions and Spirituality for Health Care Providers1048pp £120 Radcliffe
9781846195600 1846195608. Nurse Researcher, 21(6), 46-46.