Faith in Healthcare Essay - 1100 Words

Faith in Healthcare (Essay Sample) Content: Faith in HealthcareStudent:Professor:Course title:Date:AbstractHealthcare providers, even though their belief may be different from that of their patients, need to be sensitive to the patient to facilitate healing basing upon spiritual perspective. In this paper, the summary of the research of three faiths: the Bahai faith, Buddhism faith, and Sikhism faith is provided. The philosophy of delivering health care from the perspective of each of these faiths is compared with that of the Christian perspective and my own perspective. Christian, Buddhist, and Bahai patients do not have any problem with their health care providers particularly when they are permitted to practice their religious components of spirituality. Nonetheless, Sikh patients usually choose to be treated in Guru Nanak acknowledged hospitals since they believe this is where their faith is well recognized. The belief system of a patient is a vital component of the healing process; hence, it is important t hat health care providers understand the patients concept of healing when delivering health care to patients from different religions.Faith in Healthcare It is important for providers of health care to understand and appreciate the religious beliefs and preferences of their patients so as to be able to deliver optimal health care to them. In many health care facilities, there are patients from various races, religions, ethnicities, cultures, and countries. Even healthcare personnel who work in the same hospitals could be from different languages, cultures, and could have diverse beliefs. Healthcare providers, even though their belief may be different from that of their patients, need to be sensitive to the patient to facilitate healing basing upon spiritual perspective (Shea, 2008). In this paper, the summary of the research of three faiths that are less well-known compared to the mainstream faiths is provided. These three faiths are the Bahai faith, Buddhism faith, and Sikhism fait h. The philosophy of delivering health care from the perspective of each of these three faiths is compared with that of the Christian perspective and my own perspective. Bahai faith This religion was founded roughly 2 centuries ago by Bahaullah. Bahaullah resided in Turkey but the spread of his message is thought to have began in the state of Palestine. The baseline of this faith is that human beings are actually a single race (Bahai Medical Association of Canada, 2010). Believers of Bahai who get sick should seek healing from health care providers and doctors. They believe in both spiritual healing as well as physical healing. Similar to followers of the Christian faith, believers of the Bahai religion believe in the power of prayer as a major process for their healing (Bahai Medical Association of Canada, 2010). In contrast to believers of Christianity however, Bahai followers do not have clergies who will intercede or pray for them although they allow clergies of other religions to visit patients and read different Holy Books. These are the essential concepts that providers of health care need to understand so as to provide patients from the Bahai religion with the best possible care. Generally, just like many people in the society, patients hold their own belief and faith in a particular mystic, divine being (Shea, 2010). As such, the process of healing for the Bahai patient is also linked in some way to this divine being and this is what really forms the spiritual element of healing. Health care providers need to understand patients of the Bahai faith in order to simplify their interaction and avert situations of fear or discomfort for the Bahai patient. Bahai patients also believe in peace and assurance in moments of pain; hence it will be imperative for these to be provided unto the patient (Bahai Medical Association of Canada, 2010).Sikh faith The word Sikh basically implies follower, disciple, or devotee. The Sikh faith was founded roughly 6 centuries ago by Guru Nanak. Those who follow Sikhism worship one God who they believe to be the ultimate healer that actually works through medical science. Amongst the healing components for Sikhs include chanting the name of God and meditating (Fraser Health Authority, 2013). The followers of Sikhism hold the belief that meditation serves to trigger the body to naturally fight sicknesses by boosting the immunity of the body. Similar to followers of the Christian religion, Sikhs believe that God can actually heal through doctors or through miracles. Nonetheless, in contrast to Christians, Sikhs play holy music to the patients and cite hymns (Fraser Health Authority, 2013). At times, patients who follow the Sikhism faith see disease as Gods will but the sick person needs to make an effort to recover from his or her disease including seeking medical care and treatment. While managing or treating a Sikh patient, a key aspect that health care providers need to respect is never to interrupt a S ikh patient who is praying. Other vital aspects health care providers should observe include respecting the privacy of the Sikh patient, being open, and understanding for visits from the patients family members. It is worth mentioning that Sikh women might insist on covering their bodies with more than a hospital gown and being informed of their rights as patients (Fraser Health Authority, 2013). Buddhism faith This faith was started by Buddha who resided roughly 2600 years ago in India. Buddha, for nearly 45 years, taught his followers how to overcome suffering and how to live an unmaterialistic life (Bhikshu, 2009). Basically, the teachings of Buddhism can be summed up in 3 clear-cut phrases: meditate, do no harm, and do good. These 3 principles of Buddhism affect the life practices of Buddhist believers in several dissimilar ways and in all walks of life (Bhikshu, 2009). Buddhists believe that the mind is the creator of both sickness and health. Why would people get exposed to the same exterior conditions yet some of them develop particular diseases whilst other people do not? In answering this question, Buddhists assert that health and sickness are both a creation of the mind and they can be removed (Bhikshu, 2009). The Buddhist word Karma connotes actions, and it indicates that the actions of people form patterns in their minds with the potential of maturing in future. These actions could be negative, positive, or neutral. While positive actions manifest in the form of happiness, success, or good health, negative actions manifest as sickness or problems (Bhikshu, 2009). Karma is therefore the creator of happiness and sickness. In order to heal present illness, Buddhists believe that they have to engage in positive actions. To prevent disease from arising again in the future, they believe that they have to purify any karmic negative imprints within thei...