Question

Health care professionals should take a patient’s religion and spirituality into consideration, but to what extent should a health care professional’s beliefs be taken into consideration?
In the case of the parents choosing faith over medicine, what is the responsibility of the health care professional and/or health center/hospital? Provide examples to support your response.

Answer 1

Health care provider and believes of the patient

The health care provider should give much importance to the patient's believes. Health care providing is not a one way machanism. The patient and the family members are involved playing a vital role in providing quality care. The health care providers are providing the services from the side, nut the patient and his family are taking decision.

Even though health care providers provides maximum support and care as a team. While the patient and family has all rights to take a decision.

For example if a patient had met with an accident, he had lost so much of his blood. Te doctor advised for a PRBC transfusion. But the patient and family members are not willing as it is against their religion belief. The health care providers or the nurse and the doctor can explain the situation to the patient and they don't have the rights to force them.

In short the health care providing system is a system which involves not only the health care team but also the patient and his family members.