Christian Religion and Healthcare
There has been both positive and negative of Christianity and spirituality on healthcare. Christianity is linked to a view that a person seeks solace from a supreme being they believe in (Rumun, 2014). Religion also has an influence on social meetings and contributes to individuals getting more gratitude and faith among themselves. Some Christina teachings, like those against drug abuse and alcoholism, have a positive contribution to enabling Christians to leave a healthy life. This case provides a scenario of a Christian family whose son has kidney disorder. The deliberation about the dilemma is also discussed where the view of Christians regarding sickness are explained.
The dilemma of Religious-based Decisions and Clinical Intervention
In the evaluation of the case, the issue of patient autonomy and the matter of respecting religion is the cause of the dilemma. Despite James being in a critical condition which requires medical attention, mike has some reservations and poses many questions that would be detrimental to James considering his health status. Existential questions have been found to increase the risk levels of health in the religious point of view. Accordingly, the doctor ought to prevent mike from implementing his spiritual intervention bit should instead find a religious-based healthcare provider to consult from mikes wife for an opinion regarding the current situation. This will be done with the of helping mike understand the healing through faith also takes place after medical procedures have been done. Additionally, James is aged eight, implying that he has the right to seek medical attention, and his independence should also be considered. It is a wrong idea for mike to believe that James is suffering because of insufficiency in faith. This is considering that all human beings are mortal (SSorajjakool, et al. 2017). There is also a need to remind mike that being a staunch believer does not mean that a person would be immortal. Hence, the clinical procedure should be implemented with the view of explaining to mike its significance.
Christians and Health
Christianity has a norm of showing gratitude and empathy for those facing difficult conditions. By adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ, it is expected that Christians help those in need every time. Christians consider sickness as a sign of punishment for the sins committed (Rumun, 2014). Additionally, illness is also interpreted as the approach used by God to test the faith of individuals. There is a need for Christians to consider sickness as one of the conventional ways of lives experienced by human beings. Good health considered as a gift from God a c hence provided to human beings to appreciate life. Christians consider good health to be precise features that evaluate the changes that occur in human nature because of prevailing good health (SSorajjakool, et al. 2017). Moreover, Christians should also understand that the kind of lifestyle of a person has a considerable influence on their health.
There is a need for Christians to appreciate medical intervention to be a critical contributor by the physicians to help persons that require health intervention. Just like Christians adhere to the bible teachings that insist on showing compassion and providing help to the needy, Christians should also consider medication as one of the ways in which God delivers healing to his people. Additionally, this argument is justified because the primary aim of medicine is to restore health and not to cause harm to a person. Therefore, mike being a Christian should also consider the intervention by healthcare providers to treat James of his condition. Since the medical personnel intend to use scientific proof to provide treatment to James, mike should also give God a chance to manifest through doctors and heal James.
As beneficence is the act of implementing actions that improve one’s health, Non-maleficence is the principle of avoiding harm to patients (De Angelis, 2006). These are principles linked to the Hippocratic Oath that is taken by medics. Despite believing in Christianity, there is a need for mike to believe that there is a close relationship between Christianity and the healthcare profession. Notably, they all endeavour to restore the health of persons that have been suffering because of sickness. Based on this argument, mike should support any initiative by doctors who wish to restore the health of James.
Role of Spiritual Needs Assessment
During the provision of healthcare to the sick with severe conditions, the doctors must conduct a spiritual evaluation on the sick person or close family members and friends (McSherry, et al. 2017). Conducting the spiritual need evaluation will be instrumental in assuring the patient and the family members of the definite purpose of the doctor on the patient. In this scenario of Mike, James and the physician, conducting a spiritual evaluation would be critical to harmonize the views of both sides which leads to coming up with the best solution to address the issue of James. Hence, there is need for the physician to conduct an analysis of the spiritual necessity of the patient.
Conclusion
Religion has a significant contribution to the achievement of proper healthcare. Religion and Christianity have the main thing in common, where they all seek to restore the health of the sick. Religion may also be a barrier to the health of patients, especially where existential questions regarding the ailment are involved. Implementation of spiritual needs evaluation is one of the critical methods that can be implemented by healthcare providers on either the sick or the family members to enhance congruence between religions and healthcare that is achieved.