Worldview of Spirituality and its Influence on Patient Care Essay
Worldview of Spirituality and its Influence on Patient Care Essay
Introduction
Communities have different spiritual and religious beliefs, practices, and rituals. Despite the diversity of spiritual interpretations of different issues affecting humanity, healthcare institutions have underutilized religious inspiration, beliefs, and practices when delivering care to patients. From a personal perspective, a spiritual worldview encompasses sacred connections, inspiration from supernatural powers, and mystical beliefs that enable people to understand various life concepts. Healthcare practitioners can leverage a spiritual worldview to improve services and apply ethical considerations in the overall care services because different religious doctrines endorse morality and ethical considerations to humanity.
Spirituality and religion are inseparable concepts because the latter enables people to understand the former. In this sense, religious doctrines allow people to embrace supernatural connections, beliefs, and rituals that inspire understand and daily practices. Due to religious inspiration in different life situations, a spiritual worldview may be fundamental in transforming healthcare settings and allowing healthcare professionals to operate according to moral principles.
The basic role of spiritual worldview and religious inspiration in healthcare settings is the overall appreciation of life and becoming motivated amid illnesses. According to Lasair (2019 Worldview of Spirituality and its Influence on Patient Care Essay), spiritual and religious teachings enable people to link different life aspects to supernatural beings or forces, including deities. In this sense, illnesses and health concerns happen according to the will of supernatural beings. As a result, patients may express deeper understanding, confidence, hope, and determination to thrive amid illnesses.
Secondly, spiritual understanding and religious doctrines require healthcare professionals to embrace morality, professionalism, and ethical behaviors when delivering care to patients. Zaidi (2018) argues that spirituality in medicine can help clinicians approach their patients with trust, empathy and strengthen team collaborations with other practitioners. Arguably, these considerations validate the essentiality of incorporating spirituality and religious concepts into mainstream healthcare practices.
References for Worldview of Spirituality and its Influence on Patient Care Essay
- Lasair, Simon (2019). A Narrative Approach to Spirituality and Spiritual Care in Health Care. Journal of Religion and Health, 59, 1524–1540. doi:10.1007/s10943-019-00912-9
- Zaidi, D. (2018). Influences of religion and spirituality in medicine. AMA Journal of Ethics, 20(7), 609-612. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2018.609
Worldview Analysis and Personal Inventory Sample
Part 1
Christian Perspective of the Nature of spirituality and ethics in contrast to the perspective of postmodern relativism within the health care
In the current healthcare systems, spirituality and ethical considerations play a significant role in determining care trajectories and relationships between caregivers and patients. In this sense, patients and healthcare professionals embrace spiritual believes and practices to derive meaning from clinical issues such as illnesses. For instance, Christianity offers a religious perspective that establishes the nature of ethics and spirituality.
Christians believe that God exercises his will by punishing their sins when individuals fail to repent or acknowledge their failures to uphold the necessary ethical thresholds. The Bible incorporates ethical and religious expectations for Christians through the Ten commandments that establish the nexus between worldly and Godly requirements for believers. As a result, God’s guidance is fundamental in ensuring that people observe ethical, spiritual, and rational guidelines. The Christian worldview of spirituality encourages love, care, understanding, and respect for all (McGhee. (2019). Arguably, these principles mean that healthcare professionals focus on alleviating patients’ suffering, struggles, restoring lives, and promoting wellbeing.
Conversely, postmodern relativism brings about a perspective that there is no absolute truth. Rather, everything depends on the situation and contextual application. Therefore, this dimension presents a more liberal understanding of spirituality and ethics because it challenges religious exclusivism. Also, postmodern relativism encourages pluralism and diversities of mindsets, values, and beliefs by challenging the monopoly of absolute truth. Arguably, this worldview is crucial in promoting morality in healthcare settings because it requires caregivers to provide multicultural care without favoritism or religious inclination.
Part 2
Scientism and Two Primary Objections
Scientism is a perspective that strengthens scientific application in defining truth and knowledge. In this sense, the proponents of scientism argue that hard sciences are the only viable and valid sources of absolute truth or genuine knowledge (Hietanen et al., 2020 Worldview of Spirituality and its Influence on Patient Care Essay). Arguably, it is inevitable that pro-scientism ideologies endorse the need to apply empirical and testable variables to establish truth and knowledge. As a result, the scientific worldview implies that something is true or rational if it is a scientific claim with testable evidence and methodological backing (Kowalski et al., 2020). Although scientism does not invalidate other non-scientific worldviews, it challenges their applicability in promoting truth and knowledge.
Arguably, critics of the scientism perspective perceive this worldview as authoritative and contradicting because it endorses science as the primary source of authentic information, knowledge, and truth. Arguably, it is possible to categorize objections to the scientism perspective into two categories, namely the scientism dilemma and self-refutation. Under the first category, critics argue that the scientism perspective of truth and knowledge ignores human capacities such as senses, memory, inference, and introspection because they belong non-scientific foundation of science (Hietanen et al., 2020). As a result, the proponents of scientism must either reject or accept non-scientific sources of knowledge such as human senses and memory as justifiable entities of human learning. Secondly, the view of scientism as self-refuting relies on the principle that only scientific research and tests can justify scientism. Therefore, when appropriate scientific means to test the validity of knowledge are lacking, scientism fails to satisfy its standards and purpose.
Part 3
What is ultimate reality?
In knowledge and ethical landscapes, ultimate truth means an entity that is primarily supreme and final in deciding the thresholds of truth and knowledge. Often, this concept is prominent in religious constructs, where believers attribute fundamental powers to deities and supernatural forces that surpass human understanding. For example, followers of the Abrahamic religion consider God as the creator of the universe and the essential source of morality and ethics. As a result, it is valid to argue that ultimate reality transcends non-physical and physical dimensions of the world. The concept explains the intrinsic source of knowledge and all-inclusive realities that shape life perspectives.
What is the nature of the universe?
Arguably, the universe comprises synergies between interacting beings, communities, entities, and energies in space and time. As a result, it is possible to define the universe as the totality of existence considering everything that exists presently or in the future. Also, it is essential to explain the universe by evaluating everything that existed in the past. While the view of the universe as the totality of existence is a philosophical definition, my religion views the universe as a glimpse of God because it comprises entities, energies, bodies that reflect the power of their creator, God. Therefore, I believe that the nature of the universe represents Godly order, creativity, and organizational ability that is beyond human comprehension.
What is a human being?
Arguably, it is possible to define a human being from biological and religious perspectives. Under the biological dimensions, a human being possesses natural systems and processes like other organisms. However, a higher level of cognition and mental capacities enable humans to leverage environments to transform their lives. On the other hand, the religious view presents a human as a being in possession of a Godly image. The Bible teaches us that God created humans as different from other animals to act as a steward of other creations. Also, God vested religious responsibilities to humans by drafting the Ten commandments that would establish the relationships between earthly and heavenly expectations. Therefore, a human is a rational being with high cognition capacities and responsibilities the take care of other creations according to God’s will.
What is Knowledge?
Arguably, it is possible to define knowledge by establishing the relationships between facts, information, mental cognition, and the ability to leverage these aspects to understand the environment and its phenomena. I believe that knowledge is the product of experience and persistent learning processes that determine how people leverage facts and information. Undoubtedly, knowledge allows people to enhance make decisions, solve problems, and cultivate a sense of inquiry. Therefore, it cuts across all operational units that define human existence and their relationships with nature.
What is your basis of ethics?
My perspective of ethics relies massively on two broad concepts, human rationality, and religious dimensions. Firstly, I believe that humans are rational beings that learn from opinions, beliefs, and natural awareness. Therefore, my ethical perception under this concept is that the rationality principle requires humans to embrace morality for sustainable existence. Secondly, I believe that religious beliefs and provisions are essential in imparting morality to humans. In this sense, my religion requires me to respect others, desist from all forms of unethical activities or behaviors, and apply ethical considerations in daily activities.
What is the purpose of your existence?
I believe that everybody has the purpose of their existence because we exist to complement each other in abilities, talents, and natural endowments. From a biological perspective, I exist to procreate and promote inter-generational transitions by establishing a family. As a social being, I am supposed to interact with others, work to earn a living, and help the community in progressive ideologies, including solving problems. From a religious view, I exist to serve God by acting in good conscience, observing the commandments, caring for others, and observing all biblical teachings about morality, righteousness, and purposeful existence.
References
- Hietanen, J., Turunen, P., Hirvonen, I., Karisto, J., Pättiniemi, I., & Saarinen, H. (2020). How not to criticize scientism? Meta philosophy, 51(4), 522-547. https://doi.org/10.1111/meta.12443
- Kowalski, C., Fessell, D., Mrdjenovich, A., & Redman, R. (2020). How scientism infiltrated medicine and distorted clinical practice: Scientism may be hazardous to your health. Journal Of Research in Philosophy and History, 3(2), 117-130. https://doi.org/10.22158/jrph.v3n2p117
- McGhee. (2019). Integrating Christian spirituality at work: Combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. Religions, 10(7), 433. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10070433