ethics spiritual needs

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University of South Florida *

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1600

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Medicine

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by Ariannat13

Benchmark - Patient's Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis Introduction Human life is valuable because we are all made in the image of God. A person’s spirituality and faith values impact his or her understanding of illness as well as health care decisions and impact a patient’s compliance to medical treatment recommendations. Spiritual need assessments are used to identify a patient’s spiritual needs and to develop an action plan to provide care and treatment. According to Evans (2020), attending to a person’s spirituality has been shown to help a person’s overall resiliency after crisis and stress and led to patients feeling more comfortable and rested and even increased healing rates because their immune systems improved. This essay is based on the Case Study: Healing and Autonomy. It will discuss healthcare ethical decision making and autonomy, how a Christian worldview views sickness and health and trusting God by honoring the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence. It will also discuss how a spiritual needs analysis might assist the physician in choosing the best therapies for the patients and their families. Ethical-Decision Making All people deserve to be able to generate moral judgments and decisions given their inherent value and the capacity to exercise their right to self-determination (Varkey, 2021). To protect James's kidneys, the doctor suggests starting dialysis immediately. However, instead of putting him through the risks of dialysis, Mike and Joanne thought it was in James' best interest to take him to a healing service and pray for him. The doctor disagreed with their decision but upheld the autonomy principle by allowing their dependence on religion to care for their son. This decision puts them in a moral dilemma because James's condition has deteriorated, and he needs a kidney transplant within a year. Varkey (2021) claims that autonomy must be judged against conflicting moral ideals and, in some cases, may be overridden; a clear illustration would be if a patient's independent activity injures another person. According to non-maleficence, the doctor must first put James's health and well-being to uphold the moral prohibition against harming another person without justification or need (Hoehner, 2020). Mike should not be permitted to carry on making judgments that are unreasonable and detrimental to James's health. If the doctor believes Mike's decision might cause James serious harm, he has an ethical duty to intervene and safeguard James' health and well-being. To protect James' well-being, the doctor might consult with a medical ethics committee or take other moral or legal actions. According to McDougall & Notini (2013), Diekema's damage principle holds that a health professional is morally justified in requesting state involvement when the parent's decision considerably raises the risk of serious injury compared to other options. Christian View on Health and Sickness

Spiritual Needs Assessment An essential tool for healthcare professionals to use is a spiritual needs assessment that gains insight into a patient’s spiritual and religious beliefs and how these beliefs could influence the way they choose to receive medical treatment. According to Timmins & Caldeira (2017), The assessment of spiritual distress and spiritual needs involves asking the patient questions about their personal spirituality and rituals, faith and beliefs, resources, and expectations and consist of open-ended questions; this enables the assessment of specific aspects of the patient’s beliefs and promotes inclusion. The physician performing a spiritual needs assessment might give Mike and Joanne vital information about how their Christian Worldview and values can be incorporated in James’s medical treatment. During spiritual needs assessment conversations, patients will reveal their needs for life balance, connection with others and/or their faith, acknowledgement of their situation and their need to retain or maintain control of their life situation, and how to maintain or redefine their self-identity (Evans, 2020).The spiritual needs assessment could help Mike and Joanne understand that God performs actions through people in effort to heal and restore health and that starting dialysis would help to relieve James’s symptoms and help to prevent him needing a kidney transplant and that in keeping with their Christian perspective the priest could come to pray for a healing with James and the family which may lead to a better health outcome. T he Bible teaches that God heals by his Word and through the knowledge, insight, and revelation he bestows upon individuals. As stated in 1 Corinthians 12:7-9, “ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit” ( 1 Corinthians 12:7–9, New International Version, 2023). The verse could have helped the family to understand that God allows healing by using doctors and medical treatments in the same manner that he can use a priest. Conclusion: Being made in God's likeness establishes the intrinsic dignity and worth of every human being (Hoehner, 2020). Patients have the right to hold opinions, make decisions, and act by their values and beliefs, thanks to the principle of respect for autonomy, which calls for respect for the decision-making abilities of autonomous people (Hoehner, 2020). The spiritual requirements of patients and their healthcare choices are influenced by their Christian worldview and healthcare professionals must promote the patient’s complete welfare by attending to the patient’s spiritual requirements. A person facing disease might find solace and hope by putting their faith in God's love, strength, and purposes for their lives. Ethical dilemmas arise frequently in healthcare and the four principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice can be used effectively by Christians who are firmly grounded in their own worldview to engage and interact in the rapidly growing, exciting, sometimes perplexing, but always rewarding field of biomedical ethics (Hoehner,

2020). A spiritual needs assessment helps healthcare professionals use the four principles of ethics to decide on the best therapies for patients and their families by considering the patient’s mental, physical, and spiritual requirements. Reference Hoehner, P.J. (2020). Biomedical Ethics in the Christian Narrative. In Grand Canyon University (GCU). Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision-Making in Health Care (2nd ed.).

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