In the contemporary society, cultural competence in care provision is a necessity. The world today is a global village and healthcare professional are likely to tend to people of diverse cultures as well as diverse faiths and backgrounds. Care provision is a complex process whose outcomes are determined by the internal factors as well as the external environment in which the patient is receiving care. The insistence on cultural competence as a critical determinant for nurses is based on the fact that people of diverse faiths have different and diverse views on what and how care should be provided (Koenig, 2013).
In the case where the nurse or the healthcare provider is not aware of the beliefs and values that the patient holds unto, the outcomes will significantly be limited and the important element of patient satisfaction will be compromised. Nurses are not expected to change their beliefs in order to serve the patient. Rather, the expectation is that the nurse and the patient can develop a platform in which they patient can share their views and beliefs as well as preferences based on their faith and ultimately negotiate with the nurse the appropriateness of the methods to be adopted in the care process. The patient’s expectation is that the nurse is aware of their beliefs and values and all care plan elements will be designed within that perspective (Lucchetti, Lucchetti & Puchalski, 2012).
Nurses are prepared to negotiate and accommodate the views and beliefs of the patient and this is noted as the first step towards maximizing the trust between the patient and the nurse. In this paper, the focus is to compare the explore the basic beliefs, components of healing as well as the spiritual perspectives on healing, prayer, medication and their impact on the care provision within care facilities (Koenig, 2012). The paper will also explore the reasons why the nurses, clinicians and doctors should not impose or prescribe their religious and spiritual beliefs to the patients in the search for positive optimal outcomes. The paper will focus on a comparative analysis of the Christian and Buddhism faiths as two diverse religious and spiritual entities to determine the differences and similarities that the care provider has to observe when managing a patient from any of the faiths (Wherry & Brad Harrell, 2011).
The Christian faith has its basis on the belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God. The Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that he resurrected from the dead. In this faith, there is a belief that there is only one soul and one life and that in the event of death eternal life can be found either in heaven or in hell. The Christians are of the belief that humans have to abide by the Ten Commandments and that for those who do not observe these commandments are likely to serve the consequences (Koenig, 2012). From a health perspective, Christians believe that illness is a consequence of the works of the evil one and that all healing comes from God. However, it is clear that humans have been given a mind to think and solve their problems and medicine is regarded as part of the personal responsibility to facilitate the healing process. Doctors and nurses are regarded as helpers and caregivers who only facilitate the healing process with all the healing power coming from the immortal supernatural being; God (Wherry & Brad Harrell, 2011).
Within this belief, Christians believe that God is the creator of life and that we are all children of one God created in his image despite our physical observable differences. There are no superior and inferior humans before God and thus all humans deserve equal opportunities, love and compassion (Lucchetti, Lucchetti & Puchalski, 2012). God being the creator, Christians believe that God has the power to take away life in the same way that he gave life and death is an acceptable outcome when the interventions of medicine have failed. The Bible is the holy book from which Christians find their justification. Illness and death are sometimes viewed as a consequence of sins and a mode of punishment meted by God for going against the commandments.
In the Buddhism perspective, the beliefs are based on the teachings of Buddha which means the awakened one or the enlightened one. There are various texts that serve the justification for the teachings of Buddha and they include the The Gospel of Buddha (Buddha), The Word (Amitabha) and The Buddhist Catechism (Keown, 2012). In the Buddhist perspective, healing is viewed as a process of the mind and the body. The mind is the non-physical, formless, genderless and shapeless entity which is assumed to be pure as well as limitless. It is viewed as the cause of illnesses.
In the same way as Christianity, diseases are not just caused by the chemical agents, microorganisms and degeneration but even so by the undetectable entities such as ghosts, demons and karmas. In the aspect of karma, the Buddhism believes that when someone does wrong or good to other beings, they will at one time be faced by the similar fate in future. Illness is thus perceived as a way to payback for what was done wring to some other being in the past and that has come back to haunt. Good health is thus associated with the consequences of good karma. However, medication, prayers wheels, prayers and flags as well as incense are believed to have a play a role in healing, restoration and recovery (Koenig, 2012).
Medication and therapy are allowed in the Buddhist faith as long as they do not go against the teachings of the Buddha which is a similar view from the Christianity perspective where the teachings of the Bible should be consistent with the form of care that is afforded. The Buddhist, just like the Christians believe that such care should be afforded to those in need even on the holy days as this is regarded as good acts that are in line with the teachings of Buddha and the servant hood role in Christianity (Keown, 2012). The complexity of Christianity is the fact that there exist many denominations with diverse views on the specifics. The nurse can recognize these when dealing with the patient and make a appropriate negotiations to the care plan.
Conclusion
Spirituality in healthcare is a pertinent issue that plays a key role to how the patient perceives the healthcare system and indeed how the outcomes of care may present. Patient satisfaction is an issue that is built on the healing of the mind, the body and the spirit and it is only when these three elements are managed well that recovery and healing is described as holistic. Nurses and clinicians deal with patients from different religious and holding different spiritual beliefs (Keown, 2012). Therefore, in affording patients care, the healthcare provider has to focus on exploring their personal beliefs and spirituality and level them against those of the patient This offers the care provider chance to determine where there may be differences and how they can actually negotiate and work towards a similar goal while respecting the beliefs of the patient and the professionalism of the nurse or the care provider (Schumm & Stoltzfus, 2011). As long as compassion, love and wisdom prevail, the aspect of religion and spirituality is respected and the patient and family will feel that the care process actually reflects their opinions, beliefs and values. Consultation and negotiation between the patient, family and the care provider should become a necessity to afford the patient a chance to tell what their values and beliefs posit as well as what should or should not be done (Koenig, 2013).
References
Keown, D. (2012). Buddhism and Healthcare. Japanese religions, 37(1-2), 143-156.
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN psychiatry, 2012.
Koenig, H. G. (2013). Spirituality in patient care: Why, how, when, and what. Templeton Foundation Press.
Lucchetti, G., Lucchetti, A. L. G., & Puchalski, C. M. (2012). Spirituality in medical education: global reality?. Journal of religion and health, 51(1), 3-19.
Schumm, D., & Stoltzfus, M. (2011). Chronic illness and disability: Narratives of suffering and healing in Buddhism and Christianity. In Disability and Religious Diversity (pp. 159-175). Palgrave Macmillan US.
Wherry, S. D., & Brad Harrell, D. N. P. (2011). Health Care Providers' Perceptions of Quality of Care: Spiritual Interventions and Medical Missions. In Journal of the Union Faculty Forum (p. 39).
