Health Care Providers in Different Religions - Essay Example

? Health Care Providers In Different Religions Health Care Providers In Different Religions A health care provider gives services of rehabilitation, or for curing, preventing or promoting health services in a way that is feasible and systematic to people and communities. This may be an individual providing the service or an entity that provides this service, and they may be from the same faith as the individual tended to, or a different faith. In many cases however, one does encounter a variety of different faiths when seeking out health care. In Christianity there are seven aspects of providing health care to patients. All of these are tied to religion and the Holy Bible and its sayings. The first is a moral code of conduct and justification that will guide health care providers to tend to patients in a manner that is in alignment with religion. Such as the fact that they cannot present life threatening drugs or force people to take a drug that may cause death. At the same time, women cannot be advised of abortion etc. Secondly the doctor patient relationship needs to be built on the element of trust; the patient is entitled to receive all the information regarding treatment, health care and any aspect of a procedure that they have to undergo. Even though the provider is the true healer and is believed to be so by the patient as well, all sides of the story is a duty of the doctor to the patient. Thirdly, patients are autonomous, that is, they are allowed to make any decision they want to, after being presented all the facts of the situation. At the same time, health care providers have to act like good citizens, taking it on their conscience to care for the patient and heal them; and not just go through with this procedure in a mechanical fashion, but to be caring and loving and compassionate towards the patient. God will only show mercy to him who showed mercy on his creation, and so providers need to offer not just treatment but compassion and mercy to patients, praying for their well-being and taking it as a duty as God’s servants to take care of his creation. At the same time there is the concept of non-maleficence in Christianity; which essentially translates into “never harm anyone.” According to this principle, health care providers need to be such that they give the right kind of prescription to the right patient and they need to assess whether a particular treatment would harm or benefit the patient in question. Christianity also believes in the principle of justice. Therefore patients are all to be treated equally and fairly, and treated till depth of the provider’s ability as that is their right as not just patients of the doctor, but also as human beings. He is also to provide access to the patients to health care if he himself cannot suffice. Lastly, it is believed that one, no matter what profession he follows, must have a character of integrity and virtue, so that no matter who he is dealing with, he will uphold his virtuous character and refer to the Bible and never wander from what it deems to be right and wrong. (Benedict M. Ashley, 2006) It is the general view, that all the principles aforementioned should be followed, whether the person seeking treatment is a Christian or otherwise. Doctors need to be compassionate, caring, try their best to bring the proper and complete treatment to their patients, while at the same time, upholding the ethics of their profession, that is, anything that can cause harm to their patients is supposed to be out of the question. However, some cultures and religions have different aspects or an addition to the aforementioned principles. Buddhism originated through the concept of suffering, the state of the soul being in trouble rather than the body being in any agony. The Buddhists believe in both technique and discipline, and those principles along with the eight fold path determine all other aspects of life even health care. The eight fold path includes right speech, right view, right intention, right livelihood, right effort, right action, right concentration and right mindfulness. Since the Buddhists believe strongly in getting to the root of all aspects, so this influences health care provider’s responsibility as well. The five Niyanmas also give a certain insight into the cure of things and they are related to the cosmic order of the universe. To practice medicine however, all the rules apply. One must develop their mind and soul to the fullest potential and seek out wisdom and compassion in order to be able to take care of their patient’s problems. Like Christianity, it is believed that a person should be allowed to pass on to the other world, or in the case of Buddhism, reborn, if their mind is dead, rather than keep them alive on medical support. However, a woman is considered more important than a man and therefore is her health, and her sickness has more priority to be treated than the sickness of a man. The Buddhists also believe in their rituals and prayers, especially mantras in dealing with the sick, and providing an aura of peace and quiet when a person is sick or dying in order to help in healing, or in accordance with their principle of privacy. And if a person cannot be helped further, then the Buddhists have a concept of bereavement, that is, strong prayers for the person to be reborn in a good life. (Numrich & (Ill.), 2001) Another religion which follows similar but at the same time diverse rituals is that of the Sikhs. They follow the same aspects such as those outlined in Christianity; however, they have their own addition to the services that health care providers must provide. They are also allowed to consent, autonomy, complete access to the information related to their treatment; however, there are some pieces of their attire that they must never be asked to remove, since those are a symbol of their respect and pride. These apply both to men and women and they are: their kanga, which is a comb, Kesh, which is uncut hair, Kirpan, a small holy sword, Kara, a strong set of bangles from their Guru depicting their strong bond with God, and lastly, their Kachera, which is their underwear which is a symbol of their loyalty to one person and not having any affairs before or outside their marriage. Even hair should not be removed from a patient’s body unless they have given consent to it thereof, or in the absence of their ability to give consent, that there is a dire need to remove hair from their body. Unless consent is taken, a patient would be extremely embarrassed and feel violated. Also, the Sikhs follow a strict ritual of prayer, cleanliness and meetings with their Guru (leader in spirituality). Therefore, when a patient is sick and cannot tend to these things himself, the health care provider must be aware since these aspects of religion are important to Sikhs. Sikhs also believe, like the Buddhist in their prayers and their mantras to help with healing. They look towards their God to help in faster recovery and at the same time, other aspects need to be covered, such as the fact that a traditional music needs to be played by the patient’s bedside and also their prayer book should be bound in a cloth and kept on the patient’s bedside. Prayers can be offered anywhere in the hospital for the patient and cleanliness must be taken care of stringently. (Government, 2011) The Jewish community’s beliefs about health care providers have also descended from ancient Hebrew Scriptures and sayings of scholars that are now a part of their perspective. The Jewish society is a strongly communal one and therefore, to take care of the Earth and its people is very important to the Jews. At the same time, their health care providers are special people called rabbis who are extremely learned and know which scared treatment or prescription to offer and which to avoid. These principles that they follow are along the lines of the ‘Halakha’ which is the Jewish Law, and not just relating to medical ethics and patient healthcare, but traversing all other arenas of life as well. (Dorff, 2002) Most health care providers, including a study on doctors, proved that they do not feel the need to shape their attitude towards patients in accordance with their religious belief. Most of them would only focus on the legal aspects of treatment, rather than telling the patient about the moral and religious aspects of the situation. However, those that do, are respected and trusted more by patients of different beliefs because they are willing to go the extra mile to discover their patient’s needs and in accordance with all religions, other religions are equally important and need to be respected in order to live in harmony on the planet. And therefore doctors should not be concerned about their patient’s religion while treated them and at the same time they should be aware of what their patients would or would not expect in accordance with what religion dictates to them. For example, if it is a Sikh patient being treated by a Christian doctor, then before pulling out hair from any part of his body, he must be consulted or the situation must be dire enough to justify for the removal of any hair. (Chicago, 2007) This research proves that one has to encounter people of different faiths in every walk of life, including health care treatment. One can be preferential and chose an individual or an entity of their own religion, however, health care providers should generally be of the opinion that they will receive a broad audience and they need to respect their religion and provide them with solutions in accordance with their religion rather than impose their own religious observations in the treatment since that would be more likely to make their patient uncomfortable. References Benedict M. Ashley, J. D. (2006). Health Care Ethics: A Catholic Theological Analysis. Georgetown University Press. Chicago, U. o. (2007). Conscience, Religion Alter How Doctors Tell Patients About Options. Science Daily . Dorff, E. N. (2002). The Jewish tradition : religious beliefs and health care decisions. Park Ridge, IL : The Park Ridge Center for the study of health, faith, and ethics. Government, Q. (2011). Health care providers’ handbook on. 24. Numrich, P. D., & (Ill.), P. R. (2001). The Buddhist tradition : religious beliefs and healthcare decisions. Chicago, Ill. : Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith, and Ethics. Read More