Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity

Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity
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Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity
It is basic that healthcare providers have an appreciation and understanding of the religious preferences and beliefs of their patients in order to be able to provide optimal care to them. In most healthcare facilities, there are patients from different countries, religions, races and so on. Even health care providers working in the same facilities are always of diverse culture, belief and language. However, these healthcare providers are united by the virtue of working under one establishment with the aim of providing the best care possible to their patients. A health care provider, despite holding a diverse belief from that of his patient, should be sensitive to the patient in order to facilitate healing, based also on spiritual perspective CITATION Sim08 l 1033 (Robinson, 2008). According to medical dictionary “spiritual healing is the use of spiritual practices, such as prayer, for affecting a cure of or an improvement in an illness”. Faith can be defined as allegiance, or loyalty to a thing or person, or in Christianity, the belief in God or a trusting acceptance in His will. Spirituality plays a very critical role in a patient's healing process. Research shows that the patient's well-being is affected by the patient's spirituality and subsequent cultural values. It is therefore important that health care providers take into serious consideration the patients' beliefs and cultural adherence CITATION Sim08 l 1033 (Robinson, 2008). In this paper, we look at the philosophy of providing health care from the perspective of three faiths: Buddhism; Sikh; and Baha'i.Buddha lived in northern India about 2600 years ago. For almost 45 years, Buddha taught his followers how to live an unmaterialistic life as well as how to overcome sufferings. Buddhism teachings can be summarized in three simple words: do good, do no harm, and meditate. These three principles of the Buddhist faith affect the life practices of their followers in many different ways and in all walks of life. The mind if the creator of health and sickness: according to Buddhist perspective. These two are created internally by the mind. Why would people be exposed to similar external conditions yet some get certain illnesses while others don't? The best explain to this according to Buddhism is that sickness and health is a creation of the mind and can be removed. Karma, a Buddhist term which means actions suggests that our actions form patterns in our minds with potential to mature in the future. These actions can be positive, neutral, or negative. Negative actions manifest in the form of problems or sickness; positive action on the other hand manifest in the form of good heath, success or happiness. Karma is the creator of sickness and happiness. To heal present illness, we must engage in positive actions, and to prevent sic...