Spiritual Diversity Essay Example for Free

Spiritual Diversity Essay Abstract ]When meeting individuals and their families with various religious and spiritual backgrounds, it is important for nurses and health care providers to be comfortable and competent in providing religious and spiritual based care. To provide holistic care, understanding the religion or spiritual background of the patient and how it impacts their health care is an important factor for their health care planning. Three religions are studied within this paper; The Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, and Jehovahs Witness, and are compared with the Christian Faith. Key points were researched, which include getting a more in-depth understanding on the various perspectives on healing, the critical components of healing, and grasping a concept of the relationship between their beliefs and that of their health care provider. The Baha’i Faith includes prayer and meditation with the combination of modern medicine, in which can be lead to healing. A peaceful environment should be provided for patients and their families to promote prayer. Buddhism individuals also practice prayer and meditation, and follow a more restrictive diet. Keeping these key points in mind when caring for a patient of the Buddhist religion can ensure a more holistic approach. Jehovahs Witness can be known to refuse specific treatments. Offering alternatives can be possible. Jehovahs Witness patients wish to have a high level of respect, without being judged of their decisions. When comparing the four religions, it is found they all have the commonality of prayer, having a peaceful healing environment, and to be respected by their caregivers. Diversity in Health Care Health care providers meet and interact with many people of different ages, race, and religious and spiritual backgrounds. Being a provider to someone with a different background than his or her own can often be a difficult task. It is often thought that caring for an individual is solely based on the physical aspect, but to provide true, holistic care to an individual, all needs must be taken into consideration. Health care is typically defined as being multidimensional, and requires a degree of depth and balance between the elements of physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual health, and the dynamics between each and all of these influence that of another (Black, Furney, Graf, Nolte, 2010, p. 244). Spirituality plays a large role on the road of healing, and a health care provider must be able to understand and incorporate their individualized needs into their care. The religious and spiritual components of three different religions will be further discussed within this paper; grasping a more in-depth understanding of the spiritual perspective on healing, critical components on healing, and the relationship between their beliefs and that of their health care provider. The Baha’i Faith, Buddhism, and Jehovah’s Witness will be studied, and compared to the Christian Faith. Education and competence is a necessity when it comes to cultural and religious aspects in the health care field. To fully grasp and understand patients’ needs while they are in a hospital setting, can be challenging. Asking open-ended questions to an individual and their family can help the physicians and nurses further individualize patient centered care. For many cultures, religion plays a large role in their day-to-day lives, and when faced with illness, continuation of their practices needs to be incorporated to assist with the healing process. Another important aspect of spiritual diversity is to fully understand and be conscious of one’s own spiritual and cultural beliefs. This can allow for a lack of bias in the care that is provided, and to assure care is truly patient centered. For members of the Baha’i faith, there is only one God, and He is believed to be the Creator of the universe. The soul of human beings is essentially the identity of each individual, and the relationship between God grows and develops through prayer, moral self-discipline, and gives a meaning to life (The Baha’i Faith, 2012). Like many religions, life is seen as a joyous, eternal process that involves the discovery and growth of spirituality. Prayer and meditation are practiced to progress spiritually, and combined with medicine; it is believed that sickness can be healed. In the health care setting, prayer and meditation is a large part in the Baha’i faith, as well as symbols or pictures of the son of the Prophet Fou nder of the Baha’i Faith, ‘Abdu I-Baha’, which should all be treated with respect. No special prayer room is needed for an individual of this religion, but assisting in giving a peaceful environment will provide a suitable environment for the patient and their family. There are no dietary restrictions for a patient of the Baha’i faith, with an exception of the Fasting period, which is March 20-21st, when members aged 15-70 do not eat or drink between dawn and sunset (The Baha’i Faith, 2012). This fasting period can have an exception to those who are ill, but that is dependent on the individual. When providing care to an individual of the Baha’i faith, it is essential to understand and respect the views of the patient, and to allow time for prayer and meditation. Being the fourth largest religion in the world, Buddhism is a religion that many nurses and health care providers may come across more often. Like Christianity, Buddhism follows the principle of reciprocity, or the â€Å"‘Golden Rule’: To do onto others as you would wish them to do onto you† (Robinson, 2009). In the Buddhist religion, Buddha offered advice to members of the religion to assist them in healing quickly and thoroughly. His recommendatio ns consisted of eating selective foods, to consume foods at the proper intervals, keep an optimistic outlook, be kind, considerate, and cooperative to those who are taking care of them, and stay in touch with the physicians and nurses. Beliefs are, following these recommendations will yield the best results from treatments (â€Å"Buddhism, Medicine, and Health† n.d). Respect between the health care providers and the patient and their family is held very high with the Buddhist religion. Treatments recommended by the physician typically have no restrictions, including blood transfusions. Most Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan, so incorporating a special diet into their care will help build a level of confidence between the patient and the health care team. Prayer and meditation also is a part of the Buddhist practice, and Buddha figurines or pictures may be brought in by family members to help look over the patient. A Christian-based religious denomination that consists of approximately 6.9 million people makes up the religious movement, Jehovah’s Witness. Members of this religious group differ from the Christian religion in many ways, such as with the refusal of many health treatments or procedures such as blood transfusions (â€Å"Jehovah’s Witness†, 2009). When taking care of a patient who is a Jehovah’s Witness, the nurse needs to keep in mind the restrictions the patient may have regarding any blood transfusions or blood products. Having knowledge of and providing options for alternatives instead of a blood product will be necessary and useful for the patient when it comes to making decisions related to this issue. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in faith healing, but will pray and reach out to their faith beliefs to guide them in the healing process. As a health care worker, having the Chaplain visit the patient and their family can help the patient feel more comfortable and gives them an additional outlet to pray and reconcile their religious beliefs during difficult times. When taking care of a patient who is a Jehovah’s Witness, the most important concept is respect and trust. Patients are trusting in modern medicine, the physicians, and nurses to help them heal, and deserve the right to refuse treatment without judgment of their decision. Receiving care from an individual who is of different religious or cultural background does not make a difference in the response of treatment, and a tr usting relationship should not be difficult to build as long as the caregiver acknowledges, respects, and does all they can to provide appropriate religious care to the patient. People who are of the Christian religion are acceptable to most medical treatments, and while there are typically no restrictions per their religion, refusal of a treatment or procedure is most often due to personal preference. While in a hospital setting, offering to have a Chaplain visit the patient on a weekly or as needed basis can create a sense of connection with the Lord, and grant some ease and comfort to the patient. Christianity places a lot of their healing in the hands of God, and believes in the power of prayer. When comparing Buddhism, Jehovah’s Witness, and the Baha’i Faith to Christianity, there are some evident similarities between them all. Each share the appreciation for the health care provider to respect and incorporate their needs and beliefs, even when their provider has a different belief or background than the patients. All four of these religions share a commonality of a higher being in which they worship and put their faith in, and who they send their prayers in times of illness or hardship. Respect is the most prevalent common factor of these religions that individuals wish from their health care providers, and is also one of the simplest ways the provider can give back to their patient. If a health care provider is unfamiliar with a religion or the way they practice, a great way to show the patient you are truly interested in the patient centered care is to actively learn their rituals or beliefs, and accommodate it into their care. Taking care of patients of a different culture or religion can often create a feeling of distress between the nurse and patient, and â€Å"misunderstandings occur because of the difference in backgrounds, experiences, mannerisms, assumptions, and expectations† (McNutt, n.d, para. 2). It is important for the health care provider to ask questions to the patient or family members in regards to diet, spiritual needs, and any special accommodations that could be incorporated into patient care. Doing so can help the patient heal in a more comfortable environment, gain trust and respect of their providers, and yield better patient outcomes and compliance. References Black, J., Furney, S., Graf, H., Nolte, A. (2010). Philosophical foundations of health education. Retrieved from Google ebookstore http://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=KL_pBVZftwICoi=fndpg=PA243dq=spiritual+and+holistic+careots=sIGdQb4TzTsig=fa0-Z1gaIuc1camBWlGw3UmRobQ#v=onepageq=spiritual%20and%20holistic%20caref=false â€Å"Buddhism, Medicine, and Health†. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.blia.org/english/publications/booklet/pages/37.htm Jehovah’s Witness at a glance. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/witnesses/ataglance/glance.shtml McNutt, B. (n.d). Patients from different cultures. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/etoday/patients-from-different-cultures-pplejf.html Robinson, B. (2009). Buddhism’s core beliefs. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism1.htm â€Å"The Baha’i Faith†. Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting. (2012). Retrieved from http://info.bahai.org/article-1-4-0-7.html