Peer Review: Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity: First Draft
...University: spirituality in healthcare
June 19, 2016 
As healthcare professionals, it is imperative that we be very mindful of the unique spiritual needs of our patients and their families on an individual basis while on admission. Healthcare professionals are charged with the responsibilities of facilitating our patient’s complex spirituality and religious beliefs especially in times of crisis. When we canare able to accommodate our patient's spiritual needs and their religious beliefs, it is much easier on the patient as well as the healthcare professional. Once this has been accomplished, we see better patient outcomes and the patient's ability to cope is maximized. It is very important that nurses are able to set aside their differences and beliefs when caring for a patient as well as being mindful not to impose the nursestheir own spirituality and religious beliefs on the patient, especially during that very difficult period in the patient's life. Honoring a patient’s dignity is just as important as providing medical care to any patient.
This paper presents some of the basic Christian beliefs in comparison to Buddhism, their worldview and the implications of their belief system on healthcare. It Aanswer questions on critical common components to Christians and Buddhism in regards to healing, such as prayer, meditation, and belief. Address what is important to patients of the two faiths when cared for by health care providers whose spiritual beliefs differ from their own. In conclusion, there is a brief description of the author’s own spiritual perspective on healing, what have been learned from the research and how this learning can be applied to a health care provider.
“A worldview is a way of understanding the world that influences a person’s opinion on morality, politics, culture, economics, and societal values. It also informs what a person believes about human behavior, the history of human civilization on earth, and the afterlife.” (Pritchard, 2013). When it comes to Christianity, there are very different denominations and groups, but they have common beliefs system. All the different groups and denominations may have differing belief systems but when it comes to Christian worldview their core ideas and the belief system are standard. Christians accept and believe that there is absolute eternal God. Christians also believe that all human beings and the universe are the unique creation of God. Christians believe that human beings have original sin and that human beings are flawed and therefore capable of wrong doings. Christians Besides, they believe in the Bbible and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died and was buried and that he rose again (Pritchard, 2013).
In the area of healthcare, Christians canare able to cope better when they are in touch with their spiritual side. They find peace in the church and their church members. Christians can better cope with illness when they take it to God in prayers. They have a better outcome and less stress about their illness when they are spiritually inclined. Spirituality is vital to Christians. Studies have shown that there is a link between the wayways people enjoy their life even when they are having symptoms or in pain (Puchalski, 2001). Christians can better cope with their disease and even face death with spirituality. When it comes to recovery, those Christians who are committed spiritually tend to have a speedy recovery from illnesses. Christians have less fear of death or guilt when they are spiritually active. In times of chronic illness, Christians value companionship and spiritual peace. Christians do not believe that death is the end, but rather there is a better life after death. “Disease is caused or made worse by stress, to that extent evoking the relaxation response is effective therapy” (Puchalski, 2001). Christians believe in meditation or guided imagery and in today's world this is considered “adjunct to conventional medical therapies” (Davenport, L. (2009).

Buddhists have the freedom to have a different view about life. Buddhist have different practices, and their teachings are also very different, but they are similar in their core beliefs when it comes to a worldview as their beliefs seem to align. For the Buddhist they may have many Gods or they may not even have a God. The Buddhist don’t take things at face value;, it has to appeal to them, and they have to understand it from their point of view. Buddhist are not very much concerned about the nature of Ggod. Buddhist believe in consequence for every action. “It is a Buddhist aim to educate oneself and meditate in order to escape from this cycle of rebirth, to enter Nirvana” (Buddhism beliefs, 2008). Buddhist They believe in learning from great leaders and listen to teachings that will enhance a person’s knowledge about issues. theThe Buddhist's main focus is knowledge empowerment. For the Buddhist, mindfulness and meditation are necessary for life (Buddhism beliefs, 2008).
When it comes to health and healing, Buddhist believe that their outer situation is a construct of whatever is going on internally. This concept is the same when it comes to their health and body. Most Buddhist use meditation, mantras, and prayers alongside medicines to help them with healing (Buddhism beliefs, 2008). Buddhist believe that it is a person’s responsibility to meditate and study for their own good and well as stay healthy.
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