PHI 413V DQ: Foundational Issues in Christian Spirituality and Ethics
PHI 413V DQ Foundational Issues in Christian Spirituality and Ethics
Spirituality is an essential aspect of holistic care provision to patients. Patients require compassionate care which implies that as a healthcare provider, one must understand their journey and pain. This implies having a personalized approach to care by incorporating spiritual aspects. Therefore, spirituality is having a belief in something beyond the normal living. Spirituality allows one to find meaning, comfort, hope and innate peace in life (Timmins & Caldeira, 2017). I believe that spirituality entails having faith in a power and being that is greater than oneself. Spirituality implies that as a nurse, one must conduct with increased moral and ethical concern for others and use the beliefs to improve care and understand how to offer empathy and have the drive to heal, comfort and make patients feel better. The implication is that having spiritual foundation allows one to offer a more nuanced approach to care and ensure that they follow the compassionate care for better patient outcomes (Murgia et al., 2020). Spirituality provides a worldview which suggests there is more to life than what individuals experience on a sensory and physical level. Spirituality is a source of comfort and relief from stressful situations for many individuals.
My conception of spirituality would impact the way I care for care for patients in several ways. Firstly, spirituality is an essential aspect of patient-centered care model where nurse practitioners must incorporate the patient’s and their families’ view in the care plan. Secondly, through spirituality, a nurse practitioner understands the need to offer compassionate care and know that all have beliefs in supernatural healing (Timmins et al., 2018). Spirituality helps in the assessment of patient’s spiritual needs and strategies to meet these needs for effective outcomes and care delivery. Meeting patients’ spiritual needs is an essential aspect and improves the overall quality of nursing care.
References
Murgia, C., Notarnicola, I., Rocco, G., & Stievano, A. (2020). Spirituality in nursing: a concept
analysis. Nursing Ethics, 27(5), 1327-1343. doi: 10.1177/0969733020909534.
Timmins, F., & Caldeira, S. (2017). Understanding spirituality and spiritual care in nursing.
Nursing Standard, 31(22). doi: 10.7748/ns. 2017.e10311.
Timmins, F., Caldeira, S., Murphy, M., Pujol, N., Sheaf, G., Weathers, E., … & Flanagan, B.
(2018). The role of the healthcare chaplain: A literature review. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 24(3), 87-106. doi: 10.1080/08854726.2017.1338048.
A human person has an inherent value based on the creation account as they are made in God’s image. I believe that a human person exercise autonomy and has inherent dignity conferred to him or her by God. The autonomy of a human person means that their lives are precious and begins at conception. The dignity of a human being is emphasized by existing culture, religious practices, and need to protect life based enacted legal frameworks and constitutional mandates. The implication is that when individuals seek medical treatment, they should be treated with dignity, their personal health information remain confidential and have right to privacy (Cherry, 2019). As a Christian, my worldview values the dignity of life and any health and medical processes and health technology that may undermine the right to life after conception is unethical and violates existing biomedical ethical principles like autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
My position impacts my stance on controversial bioethical issues like abortion, designer babies and stem cell research in different

PHI 413V DQ Foundational Issues in Christian Spirituality and Ethics
ways. Abortion is prohibited and is unethical since it negates the right to life that begins at conception. Abortion causes death of an innocent fetus that should be given the right to life unless when the life of its mother is in danger. The concept of designer babies is against the natural order of things and ignores that human beings are created in God’s image (Rieg et al., 2018). Therefore, when one has the option to design the kind of baby that they want, they negate God’s will and it is unethical. Stem cell research has many benefits to individuals with chronic health conditions but when used for other purposes, it leads to undesirable outcomes. My worldview is against all these controversial issues unless there is a compelling case to justify their use in health care.
References
Cherry, M. J. (2019). Bioethics without God: The Transformation of Medicine within a Fully
Secular Culture. Christian bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 25(1): 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cby015
Rieg, L. S., Newbanks, R. S., & Sprunger, R. (2018). Caring from a Christian worldview:
Exploring nurses’ source of caring, faith practices, and view of nursing. Journal of Christian Nursing, 35(3), 168-173. doi: 10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000474
Description:
What would spirituality be according to your own worldview? How do you believe that your conception of spirituality would influence the way in which you care for patients?
Spirituality is a dynamic and natural way to connect with God or a supreme power-seeking purpose and meaning in life. Spirituality is conveyed through beliefs, values, traditions, and practices (Bogue, 2020). My own worldview of spirituality is the firm conviction of a supreme power that influences my well-being as a whole. That relationship is essential for me to give a meaningful purpose to what I do every day. Caring for others with compassion and understanding, respecting their personal beliefs offering comfort, understanding that patients seek comfort through an alliance with God, I assist in meeting their spiritual needs through visitations with chaplains praying, and showing genuine care and compassion.
Reference
Puchalski, C. M. (2001). The role of spirituality in health care. Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 14(4), 352–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/08998280.2001.11927788
Bogue, D. (2020). Grand Canyon University (GCU). Practicing dignity: An introduction to Christian values and decision making in health care. Retrieved from: https://lc.gcumedia.com/phi413v/practicing-dignityan-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in-health-care/v1.1/#/home