Christian Perspective and Actions Related to Sickness and Health, Principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence
The Christian perspective in matters relating to sickness and health acknowledges the role of God in healing. They explain that God is in control and can heal both spiritually and physically. This can be activated through prayer and faith. With this in mind, Mike was right in having his faith in God (Camara & Rosengarten, 2021). He hoped for healing and therefore instead of subjecting his son to medical practices, he hoped that he would get healing from his faith. However, his decision proved to be a little late and caused more harm than good (Bogue et al. 2022).
This could have affected his faith and spirituality and going further in holistic care, it is crucial to advise him and encourage him regardless of the outcomes of his previous decisions. It is also notable that Christians believe to be stewards of the temple of the holy spirit and therefore they should take care of themselves through wise decisions. While the decision Mike made ended up with regrettable consequences, it is important to understand that has had hard decisions moving forward (Kristyna Polakova et al., 2023).
His son needs a kidney transplant and so far, the only match is his eight-year-old twin Steve. This is an almost impossible situation for Mike as he wants what is best for both sons and therefore, he needs a lot of spiritual and medical guidance to ensure that he forms an informed consent. Christian believes in showing compassion and providing care to all those who are sick. This is evidenced through Christ’s interactions with all the sick people. Christians are therefore called to be compassionate and care for those who are ill and this must be reflected in the care provided to James and his family.
The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence are also integral to the Christian views Beneficence focuses on doing good and acting in the patient’s best interest. When analyzing the case provided, it can be hard to see the patient’s best interest in the first interaction. Although the doctors honored the patient’s autonomy they failed to focus on the principle of beneficence (Bogue et al. 2022). Given the current situation that which James was brought in, they should have been adamant in ensuring that James’ interests came before his father’s beliefs at this point (Davies, 2019).
However, they failed on the principle of beneficence and therefore they should work on doing better next time. They further failed to consider the principle of nonmaleficence as allowing Mike to take James from the care ended up causing more harm than good. In such circumstances and when the risks are dire the patient’s autonomy can be confiscated in favor of the patient’s wellness.
Spiritual Needs Assessment and Appropriate Interventions for all Involved in Providing Care
As Bogue et al. (2022) explains it is crucial to understand a patient spiritual needs when providing holistic care. Some of the questions that a practitioner can ask to understand the patient’s stance include the importance of faith and spirituality to them. Another question can be whether their faith is providing comfort and guidance at that time. To further ensure that the spiritual needs are enhanced, the practitioners must check to understand if there are religious practices that the patient would want to continue (Notini & Oakley, 2022).
In this case, it is evident that Mike is very religious but considering the outcomes of his first decision, he might be hesitant to continue with his faith (Camara & Rosengarten, 2021). At this time, he is at the crossroads of faith and even thinks that he is being punished or he has inadequate faith. It is therefore crucial for the healthcare practices to help him renew his faith through activities such as praying for him and listening to him when he needs to talk.
This might seem trivial but it will go a long way in restoring his faith in God (Bogue et al. 2022). The practitioners should offer compassionate presence, and emotional support and connect the family with their religious leaders. Offering them a safe space for privacy, prayer and meditation will go a long way in helping them spiritually.
Accountability Demonstrating an Ethical Manner Reflecting on Professional Standards of Practice, Person-centered Care and Participatory Approach to Care
It is crucial to demonstrate accountability ethically in medical practice. One way to ensure accountability is to engage in continuous learning. This will ensure that as a practitioner, one can stay up to date with the changes in areas such as holistic care and enhancing spirituality in care. Additionally, one should be accountable for the care they provide. This means ensuring that one should be transparent with colleagues and patients about their actions and where there is a need for correction, they should be positive about it (Bogue et al. 2022).
Moreover, ethically, they should respect patient autonomy by ensuring that the patients can make informed decisions about their care. Medical practitioners must also follow ethical principles and in the Christian perspective, this includes the principles of beneficence. Non-maleficence, justice and autonomy.
When reflecting on the case, it is evident that accountability should be the foremost in providing quality care for James. The medical practitioners who allowed his father Mike to leave the hospital regardless of the dire situation experienced should be accountable for his actions. They should not only apologize but also provide a detailed explanation of the occurrence of the event to ensure that it was not repeated.
Additionally, in person-centered care, they should ensure that decision-making is shared to foster trust among the families and the medical practitioners (Green, 2021). The participatory approach in the situation called for open communication. The case study does not reveal that Mike was explicitly told the extent of his illness and this could have affected his decisions. Therefore, in future, there is a need for collaboration and open communication.
Conclusion