Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity
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Institution
Abstract
Existential questions are common among patients, especially when given a devastating diagnosis. They tend to inquire "Why me?", while others may feel that their sickness is a form of punishment from the ‘universe'' or Supreme Being. People tend to believe that illnesses are consequences of questionable devotion to the teachings of a particular religious faith. When patients develop the perception that their illness is due to lack of devotion, they get a different perception about the illness and its treatment procedures, hence affecting their response to treatment. Medical practitioners should recognize the significance of patients' spiritual and religious history in their treatment and healing process, and learn how to use it to maximize patients' health.
Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity
Introduction
Historically, the practice of medicine and religious beliefs have been influential to one another. There are numerous hospitals and healthcare centers that were started by religious groups, communities, organizations, and agencies as part of their ministry. However, the relationship between the two has diminished over the years. The main reason for the widening gap between medicine and religion is the fact that modern era medical practices have become more scientific, especially in the mid-nineteenth century. The biomedical approach, also known as the secularization of medicine, had some faith-based hospitals retain their religious mission while many maintained only the name of their religious identity. In a healthcare setting, patients and practitioners need to understand and harmonize their vantage points (Reimer-Kirkham, Grypma, & Terblanche, 2013). For example, a doctor intends what is best for a patient, but the patient’s religious affiliation might imply that its only God who knows best. Particularly, the essay investigates the Christian and Jewish perspectives on medicine as well as their influence on healthcare provision.
Today, the world’s religious diversities pose a great challenge in healthcare services, especially in the delivery of culturally competent medical care. A culturally competent healthcare provider should meet the sociocultural, religious, and spiritual needs of patients and their relatives. We encounter religion o a daily basis. Therefore, religion and spirituality should be a topic of interest to all healthcare practitioners and patients (Shelly & Miller, 2009). Religious beliefs bind and connect people to a particular community, which has a significant contribution to mental and emotional stability. The religious empowerment can be useful to health practitioners. It can be used to improve the conditions of patients and healthy lifestyles. However, empowerment can only occur after a thorough understanding of basic religious principles (Clarke, 2006). Such principles include shared identity, the sanctity of human life, societal and communal roles, socioeconomic and spiritual growth, social networks, and effective leadership. Therefore, medical care should develop strategies that promote culture as a method of creating a close connection between healthcare providers, and in the interest of prevention, as well.
The Influence of Religion/Spirituality in Healthcare
Religion and spirituality play an important on human wellbeing, especially for patients seeking medical care. In most cases, healthcare professionals may not be aware of the importance of religious beliefs when making critical healthcare decisions. Traditionally, religious leaders were often regarded as healthcare providers. This was until medicine developed a more scientific approach in the recent past, thus creating a gap between medical and religious intervention in health matters. The main challenge facing the modern approach in medicine is the failure of health practitioners to understand the significance of religion and spiritually on patients as they seek health restoration (Shelly & Miller, 2009). Religion and spirituality influence the process of making key medical decisions on diet, modesty, nature, and the source of prescribed medicine, and even the gender of their health care providers. Some religious practices such as strict prayer times may interfere with the provision of health care services.
Any competent healthcare provider should understand and respect the religious and spiritual needs of a patient. The attempt to understand a patient's religious and spiritual needs in a healthcare setting intends to identify the beliefs or practices which affect health-related decisions, treatment process, medication, the healing process, and overall patient health. It is also an attempt to understand the wishes or expectations of patients based on their religious background when receiving healthcare services. Religious and spiritual priorities reduce patient's anxieties, especially during healthcare challenges. Therefore, patients should be provided with an opportunity to openly discuss their healthcare preferences concerning their spiritual and religious history. Their medical evaluation and treatment procedures should then be customized to meet their specific needs. Any indication of religious conflicts or struggles among patients necessitates an open discussion since they affect healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of patients. The main objective in healthcare provision is always to maintain and maximize patients’ health.
Patients’ Existential Questions and Concerns
Existential questions are common among patients, especially when given a devastating diagnosis. They tend to inquire "Why me?", while others may feel that their sickness is a form of punishment from the ‘universe'' or Supreme Being. Most religious faiths assert that being a devout follower guarantees prosperity, good health, and protection form all types of ill-health (Rumun, 2014). As a result, many people believed that illnesses are consequences of questionable devotion to the teachings of a particular religious faith. When patients develop the perception that their illness is due to lack of devotion, they get a different perception abo...