DQ: Who would have the final say in terms of ethical decision-making and intervention in the event of a difficult situation?
The significance of spiritual care in patient care, as well as the effectiveness of that care, might influence how patients perceive their illness. When it comes to spiritual care, I believe my greatest area for improvement is knowledge. Aside from Christianity, I don’t know much about other religions, therefore it’s easy for me to mistakenly say or do anything insulting or insensitive since I don’t know how to handle certain situations. My ability to “live and let live”—the idea that as long as you don’t hurt anyone else, you can do or believe whatever you want—is something I consider a strength. I like to think that I am typically fair in my treatment of others, but I am aware that I have a few minor flaws that I need to work on.
If I were a patient facing a difficult decision, I would want as much information about my options as possible from my doctor, as well as a second, if not a third, opinion. In order to make a decision, I would also seek input from my parents, husband, and siblings. And I’d spend the entire time praying for God’s wisdom. Although I value other people’s opinions, I believe that as the patient, I should have the last say in what happens, even if my option differs from what everyone else proposes. If I were unable to make a decision, I would hope that my family could do so, and I believe that my spouse should have the final say when it comes to medical matters.
I believe that as healthcare practitioners, we all have a lack of awareness of the many religious beliefs. We gradually extend our worldview understanding if we take the time to undertake a spiritual appraisal and ask the correct questions. If I were to make a difficult medical decision, I would want my spouse, parents, and sisters to be present.
Spiritual therapy can significantly improve a patient’s overall health and well-being. We must first assess these patients’ spiritual needs, desires, and readiness to receive spiritual care before developing a treatment plan for them. I believe that I am strong in the areas of kindness, openness, and education, but I could benefit from learning more about other religions. I enjoy listening to patients and determining their overall needs, as well as teaching them about their health. Because some patients require services that we are unaware of because they do not manifest physically, it is critical that we as healthcare professionals dig deep and provide the care they require and deserve.
What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of facilitating spiritual care for patients with worldviews that differ from your own? In the event of a tough situation, who would have the final word in terms of ethical decision-making and intervention if you were the patient?
In the event of ethical decision making for my own personal care I would like to make the decisions if I am able. In the event that I am
not, my family knows my goals and wishes so they would be able to successfully make decisions based on my care with me in mind. Giving them direction has made the difficult situations we have faced as a family a little more straight forward as we all have our healthcare wishes written our for each other. Making decisions is difficult regardless of the situation but especially when it comes to healthcare, having the decision made makes things much more simple in the event of a difficult situation.
Evans, K. (2020). Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in
Health Care. Retrieved from: https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/5
Also Read:
I am able to provide care to each patient no matter what religion they are in. When it comes to facilitating spiritual care to my patients with a different worldview, I give the same compassionate care they deserve. In my career, I have not been in a situation where I have had problems due to differences in worldviews. I sat with a patient as she told me all about her Jehovah’s Witness beliefs, which I found very interesting. Jehovah’s Witness is not my worldview, but I continued to listen to her because she needed to know that she was in good hands, and I was interested in her health and her worldview beliefs. Treating a patient’s spirituality is part of the holistic care approach we all strive for in the healthcare setting, caring for the whole person, body, mind, and spirit. “Spirituality affects every aspect of a person’s life, so offering emotional and spiritual care support should be an important focus for all health care providers. (Evans, 2020)
I would have the final say in my health care decisions in the form of a health care directive. I would let my end-of-life decisions be known to my family. My ethical decision-maker would be my sister. She is in the health field and would honor the decisions I chose. This would be tough for her, but she would be assured she was making the right decision and what was in my best interest.
~Stacy
Reference
Evans, K. (2020). Intervention, Ethical Decision Making, and Spiritual Care. Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in Health Care. https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignity-an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/chapter/5
Great post and yes everyone should be treated equally regardless of the beliefs. This is off topic but is a good example of treating people equally regardless of my belief. I worked years in the restaurant industry and found myself judging my customers based off how the dressed. Regardless of what I thought about them I treated every customer the same because that is how I was raised not to judge a book by its cover. You’d be surprised that the customers who came in dressed nice were some of the worst tippers. The customers you’d least expect a big tip from would leave you a big tip. Just remember to always treat people fairly and equally regardless of where you work. No one should every be treated differently based on our own beliefs. This is especially important in the healthcare field because these patients life depends on our unbiased and culturally competent care.
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation
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I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
Hi Class,
Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.
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Important information on Writing a Discussion Question
- Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
- There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
- Include in-text citations in your response
- Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
- Follow APA-7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor
- A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
- Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
- Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
- Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
- Follow APA 7th edition
- Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
- Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
- Here are some helpful links
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