Assignment: Benchmark – Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Assignment: Benchmark – Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Spiritual and religious needs are essential aspects of care provision, especially through the concepts of holistic and patient-centric care. Cultural competence, existing ethical guidelines, and biomedical ethics implore providers to allow patients exercise autonomy, independent decisions, demonstrate their values and preferences in a medical and health situation. However, a spiritual needs assessment is a critical component that allows patients to get holistic care based on their increased involvement (Lazenby, 2018). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate decisions by Mike concerning James’ treatment and if there is need for spiritual assessment.

Allowing Mike to Continue making Decisions about James’ Treatment

Physicians and other healthcare providers have an ethical and professional obligation and responsibility to respect the autonomy of patients and their preferences. Patient autonomy entails the right to make decisions concerning their medical care and treatment without any undue influence or coercion from their providers (Sabo, 2021). The providers have a duty to offer all information for patients to make informed choices and decisions but not to force them based on the concept of informed consent.

In this case, James has no competence to make decisions about his care because he is a minor and that responsibility rests with his parents, Mike and Joanne. The principle of autonomy is an essential aspect in this case as the physician is obligated to respect the decisions made by the parents to forego dialysis. Under the concept, physicians and other providers should educate patients adequately and offer sufficient information about their conditions. The physician should use the opportunity to make Mike understand the effects of delays in treatment using scientific evidence. Through this approach, Mike and Joanne can analyze the issue from an informed point of view.

However, the physician should not impose his perspective on Mike and needs to acknowledge that they have autonomy and are legally required to make decisions concerning their son’s health interventions. The only practical way that the physician cannot allow Mike to make irritation decisions is to provide sufficient information concerning the available options for James’ condition (Beckwith & Thornton, 2020). The physician should base his options on the rational choice model and guide Mike to analyze the negative effects of foregoing dialysis and their interest in hoping for a miracle to heal James.

Thinking about Sickness and Health, Medical Interventions and Mike’s Actions

Religion has an essential role in health as it impacts patients’ decisions in significant ways. Christians ought to think about sickness as an opportunity for one to understand the negative effects of certain things and lifestyles. Christians need to consider sickness as a normal natural occurrence that happens not because of their sinful nature but response to environmental conditions that they get exposed to in their areas of living and working. Christians should consider health as a virtue or gift from God and enables them to be present for those suffering (Sabo, 2021). Health reflects God’s love for all people while sickness shows that one needs to get closer to God. While sickness entered the world because of the Original Sin, Christians triumph over it through Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christians should understand God’s intent for sickness. Christians like Mike should not think that sickness is lack of faith and hope in God. Sickness reaffirms the future grace that God will show onto his people.

Christians should accept medical interventions as they are called to embrace science and its biomedical uses to alleviate suffering while maintaining the sanctity of life. Medical interventions combined with prayers lead to healing and restoration of individual health (Saad, 2018). Christians should consider the medical knowledge as God’s gift to heal his people and eliminate suffering. Medical knowledge is a demonstration of the intelligence that man has from God. Seeking medical assistance does not indicate a lack of faith but a way of respecting God’s command as opined Jesus Christ in Mathew 9:12. One should seek medical attention when sick to maintain God given life.

Mike needs to maintain his faith in God since He has power to heal his son despite the delicate nature of his condition. As a Christian, he should know that God has power over sickness and heals the sick. Mike needs to trust God to heal his son through the medical interventions prescribed and recommended by the physician. He should continue praying for a miracle but allow James to undergo the medical procedures for his failing kidney. Mike should act in the best interests of his child. He should utilize the information offered by the physician to make the most appropriate decision to alleviate his son’s suffering. God works in a miracle way and the couple should trust that spiritual healing will happen and allow the physician and the medical team to do their best.

As strong a Christian, Mike should keep his unshaken faith in God. However, to honor the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence for James’s condition, Mike must prioritize the choices and recommendations being fronted by the physician and his team. Beneficence focuses on providing greater good for patients and taking actions that are in their best interests. Mike should honor beneficence by considering James sickness and acknowledging the importance of a kidney transplant to save his life. Non-maleficence means causing no harm; either intentionally or not to patients (Beckwith & Thornton, 2020). Mike should understand that the recommendations by the physician are not meant to harm James. They are in his best interests. Therefore, he should trust that God will not allow the physician and his team to harm James and through the intervention, his son will get healing.

A Spiritual Needs Analysis for Mike to Make Appropriate Interventions for James

Spiritual needs of patients are crucial to providing effective and holistic care. Providers require cultural competence to offer holistic care and spiritual needs encompass this kind of care. The main goal of a spiritual needs analysis is to enable physicians and other providers support patients by incorporating their religious beliefs, values, norms and practices into care plans (Isaac et al., 2017). The assessment also allows patients to use spiritual resources to enhance their overall wellness. Through a spiritual needs analysis test, physicians can modify their therapeutic approaches and alliances with patients to enhance overall care delivery.

Carrying out spiritual needs analysis is challenging, particularly when patients have no idea about their spiritual presence. In such instances, physicians can use several assessment tools like HOPE and FICA models to establish a rapport with patients and incorporate their preferences into care plans. In this case, having a spiritual needs analysis will allow the physician to help Mike and Joanne establish the most appropriate approach for the sons (Kang et al., 2018). Through the analysis, the physician can collaborate with chaplains to help Mike understand and relate James’ situation and the interventions to God to attain healing. The test will provide a context for the stakeholders involved in the treatment of James to discuss all potential approaches and make beneficial decisions for his sake. A spiritual assessment will create a safe place for Mike to discuss their religious beliefs, concerns, perspectives, and wishes concerning the health and treatment of their son without any fear of being judged. Physicians have limited roles in spiritual assessment and should work closely with chaplains to ensure that the assessment meets its target goals.

Conclusion

The case study demonstrates a terrible and unpredictable situation that Mike and his family are encountering due to the health status of their son, James. The family needs sufficient information, support, and practical interventions like the spiritual needs analysis to understand their circumstances and offer relevant help to James. Therefore, a spiritual needs assessment would be an integral part of efforts to improve James’ condition.

References

Beckwith, F., & Thornton, A. K. (2020). Moral status and the architects of principlism. In The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine (Vol. 45, No. 4-5, pp. 504-520). US: Oxford University Press.

Isaac, K., Hay, J., & Lubetkin, E.  (2017) Incorporating Spirituality in primary Care.Journal of

            Religion and Health, 55(3), 1065-1077. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0190-2

Kang, K. A., Choi, Y., & Kim, Y. (2018). Reliability and validity of an instrument assessing spiritual needs of families of terminal cancer patients. The Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 21(4), 144-151. https://doi.org/10.14475/kjhpc.2018.21.4.144.

Lazenby, M. (2018). Understanding and addressing the religious and spiritual needs of advanced cancer patients. In Seminars in oncology nursing (Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 274-283). WB Saunders.

Macdonald, G. (2019). Spiritual needs assessment: the LOADS SHARED mnemonic. British

            Journal of General Practice, 69(688), 573-574. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp19X706505

Riklikienė, O., Tomkevičiūtė, J., Spirgienė, L., Valiulienė, Ž., & Büssing, A. (2020). Spiritual needs and their association with indicators of quality of life among non-terminally ill cancer patients: Cross-sectional survey. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 44, 101681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2019.101681.

Sabo, A. (2021). Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making

            in Health Care (1st Edition). Grand Canyon University – Digital Resources.

Saad, T. C. (2018). The history of autonomy in medicine from antiquity to principlism.

Medicine, health care and philosophy, 21(1), 125-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019017-9781-2.

Timmins, F., & Caldeira, S. (2017). Assessing the spiritual needs of patients. Nursing standard,

31(29):47-53. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2017.e10312.

Benchmark – Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

In addition to the topic study materials, use the chart you completed and questions you answered in the Topic 3 about “Case Study: Healing and Autonomy” as the basis for your responses in this assignment.

Answer the following questions about a patient’s spiritual needs in light of the Christian worldview.

1) In 200-250 words, respond to the following: Should the physician allow Mike to continue making decisions that seem to him to be irrational and harmful to James, or would that mean a disrespect of a patient’s autonomy? Explain your rationale.

2) In 400-500 words, respond to the following: How ought the Christian think about sickness and health? How should a Christian think about medical intervention? What should Mike as a Christian do? How should he reason about trusting God and treating James in relation to what is truly honoring the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence in James’s care?

3) In 200-250 words, respond to the following: How would a spiritual needs assessment help the physician assist Mike determine appropriate interventions for James and for his family or others involved in his care?

Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

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