Patient’s Spiritual Needs
Introduction
Spirituality and religion are crucial factors in most people seeking medical
care. Unfortunately, health care professionals might not consider religious
beliefs and spiritual needs when they are dealing with complex medical
decisions for their patients or their families. This paper analyzes a case
involving parental postponement of a medically needed intervention based on
religious beliefs in prayers and miracles.
Allowing or Not Mike Continue Making Irrational Decisions
The physician should not have allowed James’s father Mike to continue making
decisions that seem illogical and detrimental to James. Although health
professionals should respect parental decisions regarding their child’s care,
the physician had the legal and ethical responsibility of intervening in situations
that are possibly harmful to the child (Katz & Webb, 2016). Mike and James
were refusing and postponing the medically needed therapy because they
religiously believed that James could be cured by a miracle. The
postponement made James’ health to deteriorate to the point of him being put
on permanent dialysis and requiring a kidney transplant.
According to Katz and Webb (2016), health professionals have the
responsibility of protecting susceptible children from medical neglect. When
health professionals encounter a minor who faces danger of disability or death
as a result of parents’ inactions, actions or decisions, they are required by the
law and obliged by professional standards to report the parents to appropriate
authorities. Also, healthcare professionals are ethically justified to carry on life-
saving interventions over the objections of the parents as they make the report
when the life of the child is in danger. Pediatric health professionals have
ethical and legal duties to make decisions and offer care that is beneficial to
the pediatric patient and not essentially what the parents request or desire.
Benchmark – Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis
How a Christian Ought to Think About Health and Sickness
The perceived role of religion in health, illness, and healing is a key influence
on the health care behaviors and beliefs of individuals. Some Christians
believe that being in good health is compensation for doing good thins while
illness is a form of reprisal for the bad things that they have done or as a way
of test on their faith. In this case, Mike wonders if he did not have enough faith
or if God was punishing him or his son James.
Rumun (2014) asserts that it is common for religious people to ask themselves
questions about sickness and why it is happening to them. An individual might
believe that sickness is a reprisal for God. If staunch religious faith is an
alleyway to good health and shield from all illnesses, then it is thought that
sickness is a result of a lack of dedication to the faith. This view might be
detrimental to the individual because she or he believes that sickness has
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Introduction
Spirituality and religion are crucial factors in most people seeking medical
care. Unfortunately, health care professionals might not consider religious
beliefs and spiritual needs when they are dealing with complex medical
decisions for their patients or their families. This paper analyzes a case
involving parental postponement of a medically needed intervention based on
religious beliefs in prayers and miracles.
Allowing or Not Mike Continue Making Irrational Decisions
The physician should not have allowed James’s father Mike to continue making
decisions that seem illogical and detrimental to James. Although health
professionals should respect parental decisions regarding their child’s care,
the physician had the legal and ethical responsibility of intervening in situations
that are possibly harmful to the child (Katz & Webb, 2016). Mike and James
were refusing and postponing the medically needed therapy because they
religiously believed that James could be cured by a miracle. The
postponement made James’ health to deteriorate to the point of him being put
on permanent dialysis and requiring a kidney transplant.
According to Katz and Webb (2016), health professionals have the
responsibility of protecting susceptible children from medical neglect. When
health professionals encounter a minor who faces danger of disability or death
as a result of parents’ inactions, actions or decisions, they are required by the
law and obliged by professional standards to report the parents to appropriate
authorities. Also, healthcare professionals are ethically justified to carry on life-
saving interventions over the objections of the parents as they make the report
when the life of the child is in danger. Pediatric health professionals have
ethical and legal duties to make decisions and offer care that is beneficial to
the pediatric patient and not essentially what the parents request or desire.
Benchmark – Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis
How a Christian Ought to Think About Health and Sickness
The perceived role of religion in health, illness, and healing is a key influence
on the health care behaviors and beliefs of individuals. Some Christians
believe that being in good health is compensation for doing good thins while
illness is a form of reprisal for the bad things that they have done or as a way
of test on their faith. In this case, Mike wonders if he did not have enough faith
or if God was punishing him or his son James.
Rumun (2014) asserts that it is common for religious people to ask themselves
questions about sickness and why it is happening to them. An individual might
believe that sickness is a reprisal for God. If staunch religious faith is an
alleyway to good health and shield from all illnesses, then it is thought that
sickness is a result of a lack of dedication to the faith. This view might be
detrimental to the individual because she or he believes that sickness has
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