Religion and spirituality play an essential role for many people in the modern world, affecting their perceptions of health and health outcomes. Firstly, one can state that following religious beliefs can result in fatalism. People start believing that their actions can not affect their health outcomes, which leads to challenges for medical professionals who should make participants follow treatment guidelines. Secondly, many religions stipulate that a person’s body is the temple of their soul or spirit. That is why it is necessary to monitor health conditions, and numerous religious people do it.
It is necessary to mention that the phenomena under consideration can lead to positive and negative experiences. On the one hand, Pentaris (2019) stipulates that religion “is a mechanism for coping with trauma, illness, crisis,” and others (p. 287). Simultaneously, some findings state that there is a positive correlation between spirituality and decreased anxiety (Pentaris, 2019). On the other hand, some patients can accept illness and reject treatment for religious motives and since it is all in God’s hands. The exact opposite approaches exist among spiritual individuals about resilience and death. Consequently, it is possible to mention that patients’ spirituality is a controversial phenomenon in the healthcare industry because it can positively or negatively influence health outcomes.
Since I am a Roman Catholic, it is necessary to consider whether my religion affects how service should be provided to patients. Today, the Catholic Church is one of the leading world organizations that contribute to promoting better healthcare. In particular, the specific actions include running charity organizations, providing people in need with accessible services, and many others. That is why it is not a surprise that individual medical professionals should do their best to provide individuals with assistance. However, I should admit that the Catholic religion stipulates that people should not be forced to utilize treatment; it should be their own choice.
In conclusion, it is necessary to explain how I can improve my understanding of patients’ views about religion and spirituality. The most optimal strategy is to study professional literature to determine what challenges different religions can bring to social work practice. For example, male social workers should be cautious while working with Muslim women because religion governs these women’s behavior with other men. Simultaneously, Hodge and Limb (2010) explain that trust is essential for treating Native Americans. Pentaris (2019) stipulates that it is reasonable to avoid discrimination on race. In particular, it is not rational to believe that representatives of a specific religion are the same. Consequently, social workers should develop their personal and communicative skills to determine how a patient’s beliefs can affect professional practice, and I plan to follow this approach.
References
Hodge, D. R., & Limb, G. E. (2010). Conducting spiritual assessments with Native Americans: Enhancing cultural competency in social work practice courses. Journal of Social Work Education, 46(2), 265-284. Web.
Pentaris, P. (2019). Religion, belief, and spirituality in health care. In S. Gehlert & T. Browne (Eds.), Handbook of health social work (3rd ed., pp. 280-296). Wiley. Web.