GCU Diversity of Religions In health Care

Please respond to the following discussion post as a peer making a comment. While I think think being seen at the nearest and qualified hospital for medical emergencies regardless of religion, I do feel that religious beliefs and values of an organization should be and is considered by many. “The diversity of religions around the world creates challenges for health care providers and systems to provide culturally competent medical care” (Swihart, et.al., 2017). Therefore some organizations may struggle providing culturally competent care, especially when it comes to certain religious beliefs, practices, and rituals. Often people base some of their medical decisions on their religious and spiritual beliefs, and therefore some healthcare providers may struggle with these decisions and/or lack understanding of how to navigate the situation and patient decision.

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It is necessary to recognize and discuss a patient’s religious or spiritual beliefs and preferences at time of admission, and attempt to accommodate for these needs to improve patient experience and outcomes.

For example, followers of Islam are called Muslims. They view aspects of death, health, pregnancy, etc. in different ways.

In this custom, female patients typically require female physicians, and therefore this could become a barrier to care as the patient and her spouse may feel uncomfortable or offended if this is not considered. It can be difficult to always abide by everyone’s religious preferences, however it should be a priority to better care for the individual and promote comfort.

Individuals’ culture and religions do heavily impact their attitude, viewpoints, and medical decision making, and so health care professionals must remain respectful, apologize for any cultural mistakes, be mindful of body language and language, and avoid judgement (Swihart, 2017). If religious preferences aren’t acknowledged or no attempt is made to understand the patient/family, the patient and family may have a lack of trust with the health care staff, patient may be less cooperative, and overall decrease patient satisfaction.