Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Sample Answer for Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis Included After Question

Assessment Description

Healthcare providers, especially nurses and physicians, require knowledge and awareness about the spiritual needs of their patients to tackle dilemma situations where spiritual aspects and beliefs interfere with the conventional medical and nursing processes (Brown, 2019). The case study, “Healing and Autonomy” explores the dilemmas that healthcare providers encounter concerning the Christian worldview and the decisions that patients and their families make. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate, based on the case scenario, the role of a patient’s spiritual needs based on the principles of autonomy and the Christian worldview.

Allowing Mike to Make Irrational and Harmful Decisions

James is Mike’s son who has been diagnosed with kidney disease and requires a transplant as the long-term solution. Physicians have a professional role to respect the principle of patient autonomy which entails the right of patients to make decisions about the kind of medical interventions and treatment without any undue influence from the healthcare provider (Papanikitas, 2022). James as a minor cannot make decisions and this means that his parents, especially the father, Mike, exercise the role. Autonomy is a critical issue as the physician must respect the decisions and choices that Mike and Joanne make about the kind of care that their son should get, including foregoing interventions like dialysis and opting for healing services at their church. While the decision seems irrational and increased harm to James, the physician cannot stop Mike from such choices because of the principle of autonomy. He should not impose what he knows is the right thing to do but allow Mike to make decisions on what he believes is in the best interest of their son as a family.

Patients make informed decisions based on information offered by healthcare providers concerning their health and medical conditions. In this case, the physician and his team have a duty to offer the best information and case scenarios for Mike to make better decisions. The physician should deploy his expertise and experience to offer critical information for Mike to make better decisions. He should base his direction and arguments on scientific and medical facts to help Mike and Joanne get in the right direction. Using this approach, the physician would help Mike analyze his son’s condition and make informed choices.

Sickness, Health, Medical Interventions, Trust in God, and Honoring Beneficence & Non-maleficence

Religion plays a critical role in individuals and their perception of health. Religion influences the conduct and beliefs that Christians attach to health and sickness where different Christian denominations have varied perspectives and positions (Wiese-Bjornstal, 2019). However, many Christians consider these aspects essential with health as a blessing from God. Many consider sickness as a result of shortcomings and possible consequences of wrongdoing. However, others believe that sickness provides one the chance to strengthen their faith in God and understand the purpose of human living and life.

Christians need to understand that sickness and health exist based on a host of aspects like God’s intention (Brown, 2019). Christians ought to understand that despite assurances from God and His promises, sickness and health are part of human living and should be considered positively, despite their varied effects. Sickness and health emphasize the need for human beings to take care of themselves and the sick.

Medical interventions are important despite one having faith. Christians should not decline or oppose any intervention when they have a disease (Sabo, 2021). Christians are called to embrace science and scientific facts that God uses to intervene in human life to heal after physicians treat an individual. Christians should accept medical interventions as God uses them to eliminate unnecessary suffering while upholding the sanctity of life. The biblical narrative asserts that medical interventions, alongside prayers, heal and restore health. God bestows intelligence on human beings through physicians to allow them to discover medical interventions to cure diseases and alleviate human suffering. Therefore, Christians should consider medical interventions as key to their beliefs and practices. Jesus Christ asserts that Christians should seek medical intervention in Mathew 9:12.

As a Christian, Mike should allow the physician to proceed with the treatment plan for James and maintain his faith in God’s healing power. As a Christian, he believes that God has the power to heal sickness and restore health. He should accept medical interventions through the physician’s plan and pray for a miracle. By doing this, he will be acting in the best interest of his son. He should leverage information from the physician and focus on two critical aspects of beneficence and non-maleficence. He should know that they should prioritize the best interests of James and not do any harm as the physician demonstrates (Fortuin et al., 2021). They should trust that spiritual healing will happen and allow the physician to do his part in the best interest of James.

Spiritual Needs Assessment

Spiritual requirements are significant and have an impact on a patient’s ability to make decisions when ill. Spiritual assessment and requirements help patients to appreciate their present condition and seek a better or higher understanding based on the suffering and other aspects that they have to endure (Hawthorne & Gordon, 2020). The main goal of this assessment is to support patients through the integration and incorporation of their religious beliefs and norms as part of the health care plan and interventions. The spiritual assessment also helps patients to use spiritual resources to enhance their overall wellness.

Conducting a spiritual assessment before treatment allows providers to strengthen rapport and therapeutic alliance with patients. These assessments lead to renewal, development of resiliency among patients, and growth of their perceptions. Therefore, spiritual assessment and care are fundamental components of providing holistic and patient-centered care (O’Brien et al., 2019). The physician can leverage different spiritual assessment tools like HOPE and FICA models that allow one to understand all spiritual components impacting a patient’s ability to receive treatment.

The physician will use the spiritual assessment plan to help improve his understanding of Mike and Joanne’s perception of the recommended treatment interventions. The physician will identify and appreciate the spiritual needs of the couple and the best approach to delivering health interventions for their son. The physician will also learn the religious beliefs and values embraced by Mike and Joanne and have a context to discuss their experiences in coping with the illness and moral decision-making approach (Rachel et al., 2019). Therefore, the assessment will offer a chance to discuss these components and how the family can handle the current situation.

Conclusion

Patients have varied spiritual components that impact the delivery of care. Spiritual assessment is critical for providers to understand the position of patients and their families based on their religious practices, beliefs, and norms. As demonstrated, the assessment would help evaluate the mental status and position of Mike and Joanne regarding medical interventions for their son.

References

Brown, C. G. (2019). Theologies of medicine and miracles. Society, 56(2), 141-146.

Fortuin, N. P., Schilderman, J. B., & Venbrux, E. (2021). Interpretation and timing of death: The

development and initial validation of the interpretation of death (IOD) scale and the attitudes toward medical interventions in the timing of death (AMITOD) scale. Death Studies, 45(4), 282-295. DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2019.1626950.

Hawthorne, D. M., & Gordon, S. C. (2020). The invisibility of spiritual nursing care in clinical

practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 38(1), 147-155. DOI: 10.1177/0898010119889704.

Papanikitas, A. (2022). The many flavors of justice in primary care. British Journal of General

Practice, 72(719), 270-270. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp22X719597.

O’Brien, M. R., Kinloch, K., Groves, K. E., & Jack, B. A. (2019). Meeting patients’ spiritual

needs during end‐of‐life care: A qualitative study of nurses and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of spiritual care training. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(1-2), 182-189.

Rachel, H., Chiara, C., Robert, K., & Francesco, S. (2019). Spiritual care in nursing: an overview

of the measures used to assess spiritual care providers and related factors amongst nurses. Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis, 90(Suppl 4), 44.

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

In Health Care (1st Edition). Grand Canyon University – Digital Resources. https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-

university/2020/practicing-dignity_an-introduction-to-Christian-values-and-decision-

making-in-health-care_1e.php

Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M. (2019). Christian beliefs and behaviors as health protective, resilience,

and intervention factors in the context of sports injuries. In Sport, Psychology, and Christianity (pp. 54-70). Routledge.

Assessment Description

A Sample Answer 2 For the Assignment: Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Title:  Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

Religion and spirituality are essential components for many individuals as each person has their belief systems. Healthcare providers like nurses and physicians through evidence-based practice (EBP) model need to consider religious beliefs and spiritual needs of their patients, especially when dealing with complicated medical situations and decisions for their patients and families (Damiano et al., 2021). Patients and their families need spiritual analysis to make effective decisions and accept the prescribed care interventions. The purpose of this paper is to offer a reflective analysis of a case study about a minor with glomerulonephritis yet parents, Mike and Joanne, make decisions that are based on their religious beliefs and not founded on medical evidence. The paper on Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis analyses the case and discusses the reflective findings over the issue.

Allowing Mike to Make Decisions that Seem Irrational and Harmful to James

Physicians have an ethical and legal obligation to respect patient’s preferences and decisions based on the concept of autonomy as one of the biomedical ethical principles. The concept implores healthcare providers to respect the decisions and preferences of their patients, even when they do not agree with them because they have the right to determine the kind of care that they should receive from providers. In this case, James is incompetent because he is a minor and his preferences and decisions are made by his parents, especially the father, Mike (Zwitter, 2019). The concept of autonomy is essential in this case and the physician should respect any decision and preferences that Mike makes, irrespective of how irrational they may seem or look. The decision my Mike to forego dialysis for his son and opt for miracle prayers at his church was not the best. However, the physician has an obligation to allow the parent to make decisions that he deems will provide benefits to his son.

The physician should use his expertise and experience to provide information and educate the couple about the dangers of foregoing treatment interventions like the dialysis. The physician needs to emphasize that while having hope is critical, it is important for the patient to take certain steps to attain better outcomes. The implication is that using this approach will allow the physician to demonstrate the need for dialysis and the eventual kidney transplant as the permanent or long-term intervention for the patient (Sledge et al., 2022).  The physician should refrain from imposing any beliefs or even his scientific knowledge and expertise to the patient and his family. He needs to wait for their decisions and preferences and consider them to offer quality care.

Christian Thinking on Sickness and Health, Medical Intervention and Honoring Beneficence and non-maleficence

In Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis, the perceived role of religion in health and illness as well as the healing continuum is a critical factor among many Christians seeking healthcare services. Christians should perceive sickness and health as two critical issues in one’s beliefs and the perception that they will have on medical interventions. Sickness is not a punishment from God but offers a chance for one to have better outcomes by following recommendations and interventions as prescribed by the providers. Christians should consider health is attainment of wellness but not the absence of any disease or condition in their lives. Health is a gift from God but should demonstrate that one has more faith than another one. Therefore, Christians should consider health as important and those sick seek medical intervention to attain better status.

Medical interventions look at processes and actions aimed at restoration of health and preventing the occurrence of diseases and health conditions. Mike needs to consider that the current situation and condition requires medical interventions. Mike should not perceive James’ condition as lack of trust and faith in God leading him to seek spiritual intervention. Therefore, Christians should not oppose medical interventions but consider them as a way of attaining healing. Christians should accept science and its biomedical uses to prevent and eliminate unnecessary suffering and protect the sanctity of life (Zwitter, 2019). The biblical account and teachings are categorical that medical interventions alongside prayers can lead to healing and restoration of health. God bestows intelligence onto man and through his power, allowed people to discover medical interventions to cure diseases and prevent or stop suffering.

Christians should consider medical knowledge and expertise as God’s gift to offer healing to His people. Christians should know that alongside prayers, these interventions are essential and lead to quality care outcomes as well as demonstrate the autonomy, use of evidence-based practices, and overall need for people to have better healthcare (Zwitter, 2019). In this case, Mike must demonstrate his faith in God and allow the providers to use medical interventions as prescribed to cure his son and provide a healing environment.

As a Christian, Mike need to maintain his faith and trust in God that He shall heal his son despite the current condition. Mike should allow the physician to implement the suggested interventions while he prays for miracles. Mike need to allow James to undergo the dialysis and use the information offered by the medical team to determine the best way to alleviate his son’s suffering. The most effective decision for Mike and Joanne is to collaborate with the physician and his team while allowing James to undergo the kidney transplant without any hindrances. The should pray for God’s healing while ensuring that they respect all medical interventions for the best interests and benefits of their son, James.

The principle of beneficence focuses on promotion of greater good for patients and engagement in actions that are in the best intentions of a patients (Beauchamp & Childress, 2019). Mike can honor this ethical principle by acknowledging the magnitude of James’s condition and the need for a transplant. Mike should consider that the recommendation for James to have a transplant is aimed at his good and not intention harm based on the principle of non-maleficence. By allowing the son to undergo these interventions, Mike would be respecting the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence. Mike should ensure that his son gets the best treatment interventions and coordinate with the physician and his team to offer the best care for their son.

Spiritual Needs Assessment

The consideration of a patient’s spiritual needs is critical in provision of effective and holistic care to patients. The provision of a spiritual needs assessment is to allow physicians integrate different spiritual aspects of a patient in their treatment plans and interventions. The core goal of the spiritual assessment is to enable the physician find the best way to support the patient and their families through the integration of religious beliefs and other preferences into the care plan. Further, the assessment is also important as it allows a patient to use the available spiritual resources in their facility to enhance their wellness and response to health interventions (Fuchs et al., 2021). Again, the spiritual assessment leads to the development of better interactions and therapeutic alliances between patients and their providers in different care settings. Studies show that meeting or satisfaction of a patient’s spiritual needs provides the foundation or basis of holistic, evidence-based practice, and patient-centered care.

Carrying out a spiritual assessment is challenging, particularly when a patient does not demonstrate any clearly-defined spiritual and religious positions. In such situations, providers should integrate the use of certain tools and models like the HOPE or FICA models for spiritual assessment (Saad & de Medeiros, 2020). These tools enable physicians to understand the spiritual complexities of a patient, their preferences in care delivery and overall perception about the care they get from providers.

In the case of Mike and his family, carrying out a spiritual needs assessment will enable the physician to assist the family in the best way as they contemplate the different options available to them. The assessment will offer a basis to conduct discussions about Mike’s experiences and how they can cope with their son’s condition. The assessment will develop a safe space for the family and allow them to discuss and reflect on their beliefs concerning James’ health without any predetermined position or perspective. The physician should incorporate the services of chaplains since he may not be positioned better to offer spiritual needs assessment based on his roles.

Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis Conclusion

The case study shows that providers should appreciate the role of spirituality and religion in providing treatment interventions to patients in different settings. The reflective paper demonstrates the need for physician and other healthcare providers to understand the different aspects of spiritual beliefs and their effects on patients’ perceptions of medical interventions as illustrated in this case study. The essay emphasizes the significance of conducting a spiritual needs’ analysis for patients so that providers can develop a rapport and therapeutic alliance to improve care outcomes through better provision.

Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis References

Beauchamp, T., & Childress, J. (2019). Principles of biomedical ethics: marking its fortieth

anniversary. The American Journal of Bioethics, 19(11), 9-12.

DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2019.1665402.

Damiano, R. F., Lucchetti, G., & Peres, M. F. P. (2021). Defining Spirituality in Healthcare: A

Systematic Review and Conceptual Framework. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 756080-756080. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.756080

Fuchs, J. R., Fuchs, J. W., Hauser, J. M., & Coors, M. E. (2021). Patient desire for spiritual

assessment is unmet in urban and rural primary care settings. BMC health services research, 21(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-06300-y

Saad, M., & de Medeiros, R. (2020). Spirituality and healthcare—Common grounds for the

secular and religious worlds and its clinical implications. Religions, 12(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12010022

Zwitter, M. (2019). Ethical Analysis. In Medical Ethics in Clinical Practice (pp.29-34).

Springer, Cham.

Sledge, R., Meyer, D., Zubatsky, M., Heiden-Rootes, K., Philipneri, M., & Browne, T. (2022). A

Systematic Literature Review of Relational Autonomy in Dialysis Decision Making. Health & Social Work, 47(1), 53-61. DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlab042.

Benchmark-Patient 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 400-450 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 non-maleficence 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.

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis

This assignment uses a rubric. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.

Week 5 Patient’s Spiritual Needs: Case Analysis Rubric:

1. Decisions that need to be made by the physician and the father are analyzed from both perspectives with a deep understanding of

the complexity of the principle of autonomy. Analysis is supported by the case study, topic study materials, or Topic 3 assignment responses. 20%

2. Decisions that need to be made by the physician and the father are analyzed with deep understanding of the complexity of the Christian perspective, as well as with the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Analysis is supported by the case study, topic study materials, or Topic 3 assignment responses. 20%

3. How a spiritual needs assessment would help the physician assist the father determine appropriate interventions for his son, his family, or others involved in the care of his son is clearly analyzed with a deep understanding of the connection between a spiritual needs assessment and providing appropriate interventions. Analysis is supported by the case study, topic study materials, or Topic 3 assignment responses. 30%

4. Thesis is comprehensive and contains the essence of the paper. Thesis statement makes the purpose of the paper clear. 7%

5. Clear and convincing argument presents a persuasive claim in a distinctive and compelling manner. All sources are authoritative. 8%

6. Writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English. 5%

7. All format elements are correct. 5%

8. Sources are completely and correctly documented, as appropriate to assignment and style, and format is free of error. 5%

There are three different parts to this paper:

· Part one deals with Mike’s decision-making capabilities. 

· Part two deals with how to think issues related to sickness and health.

· Part three deals with a spiritual assessment.

Lopes Write Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.

Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.

Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?

Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.

If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.

I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.

As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:

Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.

Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• Student paper example
• Citing Sources
• The Writing Center is a great resource