Spiritual Needs in Healthcare

Spiritual Needs in Healthcare

Question 1

Respect for autonomy may present a dilemma where a minor is involved. Mike is James’ parent and is only allowed to make decisions that are in the best interest of James. The physician is responsible for the wellbeing of the patient and should only allow decisions that are in the best interest of the patient (Micek, 2016). Therefore the physician should not allow Mike to continue making irrational decisions as that will go against the autonomous principle that James should enjoy. The dilemma that faces the physician is that Mike could claim to be responsible for the wellbeing of his son. Also, James is young and might be unable to make substantial autonomous decisions concerning his life. However, the physician should be able to use their profession effectively so that they have Mike under check and that his decision-making is well-advised. Also, the ability to offer solutions will improve the relationship between Mike and the physician and Mike will be willing to listen to the physician.

Furthermore, the physician could confront Mike concerning previous decisions that have worsened James’ condition. For example, the physician could remind Mike of his previous mistake of taking James to a faith healing service instead of seeking medical intervention. However, the decisions by the physicians should not lead to conflicts with James’ parents as that will only worsen the situation. Generally, respect for autonomy may not be a familiar concept to Mike because he has not reported a history of the medic practice. Also, the parent-son relationship comes in to bring in confusion where a choice has to be made between the parent-son relation and the physician-patient relationship. The physician should, therefore, explain to Mike the effectiveness of autonomy and that their decisions should always be relatively for the best interest of James. Generally, the physician’s responsibility is to protect James from irrational decisions that could be made by his father.

Question 2

The healing process of a patient borrows immensely from spirituality, although dilemmas might occur. The decisions that an individual makes concerning health are impacted by rationality and sometimes may lead to severe consequences. For example, Mike’s decision to take James to a faith healing service has led to the current state where James is desperately in need of a kidney transplant. The decision appears to have been contributed to Mike’s strong faith in Christianity, which has turned out to be rational. Sickness and suffering are common among humanity, and Christianity does not overlook their existence. However, processes such as medical interventions have been suffering from the influence of Christianity. Christians should view medical intervention as a better way of alleviating disease and pain and not as a way of denying one’s faith as most Christians tend to believe. Generally, Christians need to understand the role of medical intervention without contradicting their faith. Besides, one’s faith in God should not hinder them from going for medical intervention as that forms part of Christians trusts in the working of God. Also, the power of healing, as much as it belongs to God, is manifested through talents that are given by God to the doctors who take care of the patients. Therefore, medical intervention is a way of alleviating from the burden of sickness and pain and should not be viewed as disobedience to God.

Christians believe that God uses different ways to bring healing to His people. Mike could have missed the understanding that healing is not purely based on faith, but that faith works in cooperation with actions to manifest. Medical intervention is one of the methods that God uses to bring healing to His people. Healthcare practitioners generally carry out their activities under the calling to provide care, which is part of the values advocated for in Christianity. Generally, medical intervention works towards the development of the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence (Pipien, 2018). The two principles are based on the idea that a patient should be protected from harm and activities that may cause harm. Also, the patient is the most important party in the healthcare field, and thus the principles are directly applied to the patient’s health. In the case of Mike, the first attempt to seek faith healing could be equated to causing harm because James was denied access to medical intervention despite being ill. Christianity does not advocate for individuals to cause harm to others and thus supports the principle of beneficence. Also, Christianity does not allow individuals to carry out activities that can harm others hence supports the principle of nonmaleficence. The decisions that Mike makes should be governed by the principles to ensure that James is safe. Generally, Mike might unknowingly cause harm to James due to lack of information on the role of spirituality. The theories of beneficence and nonmaleficence are defined in a way that they go hand in hand with the requirements of Christianity.

Question 3

The lack of knowledge concerning spirituality among healthcare practitioners puts them under several challenges when dilemmas occur. Patients have diverse spiritual beliefs and addressing the needs of each patient requires sufficient knowledge of spirituality. One of the impacts of spirituality is seen in the perspectives that people hold concerning medical interventions and some perspectives have been misleading. For example, Mike’s perspective concerning faith and healing is misleading and leads him to make regrettable decisions. Since spirituality cannot be overlooked in the healthcare field, a spiritual needs assessment can play a crucial role in preparing the healthcare practitioners concerning the challenges that they might encounter during their interactions with patients (Fitchett et al. 2019). Besides, healthcare practitioners are trained to operate on diverse patient religions, and challenges are inevitable due to a lack of knowledge on the best methods of addressing spiritual perspectives. When a spiritual needs assessment is done, the patient-physician relationship is improved, and the healing process changes positively. Also, physicians are trained in the practical methods of avoiding conflicts with patients due to spirituality. Physicians come to know the best methods of addressing the challenges caused by spirituality without facing unnecessary challenges. For example, the physician in Mike’s case will be in a better position to help Mike in making better decisions without getting to the wrong side of his spirituality. Generally, A spiritual needs assessment is essential in helping patients such as James from suffering due to irrational decisions that are impacted by the spirituality of the people around them.