Religion/Spirituality, • Most Hispanics are Roman Catholics • Spiritual and religious influences play a major role in health, illness, and daily life. They represent a person’s basic beliefs of what is known to be right, good or desirable, and that motivates both their social and professional behavior. Because spirituality/religion influence health through these pathways, they act in an indirect way on health (Oman & Thorensen, 2002). It is therefore essential that nurses should acquire at least a basic knowledge of the most common religions in order to deliver holistic care that meets their patients' needs. Hindus believe in reincarnation14. This is a stark difference from historical times when the religious leader and/or priest and the physician healer were one and the same. key points When your patient's religious views vary from yours • Health care providers should be aware that a strong belief in karma can affect decision-making regarding health care. Religious Diversity: Practical Points for Health Care Providers Chaplain John Ehman (john.ehman@uphs.upenn.edu) 4/20/07, revised 5/8/12 [For a printable PDF of this resource, click HERE.] On top of that, medical education does not typically focus on religion or spirituality and its role in healthcare. Core beliefs and value system are held more strongly when people lose control over aspects of their life due to terminal illness (Thomas, 2001). However holistic nursing care can be achieved when there is thoughtful consideration and implementation of patient specific nursing action according to their psychosocial requirements. Through this view, it can force healthcare professionals to section religion outside of their healthcare plan. Moreover, four interpretations of how spirituality/religion influence health have been proposed. Though this is modern take on medicine is quite different than the historical connection between healthcare and religion. Holy days First let’s look at what it says about how beliefs can influence a person’s behavior and health outcomes, then at how the health system in the United States integrates faith into the care … INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ON HEALTHCARE PRACTICE Akpenpuun Joyce Rumun Faculty of Social Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria E-Mail: jrumun@gmail.com ABSTRACT The perceived role of God in illness and recovery is a primary influence upon the health care beliefs and behaviours of people. Values always lie at the core of one’s human behavior and usually expressed by every human in the decisions and action that they take. Presented here are brief lists of points for health care providers to keep in mind when caring for patients from a number of different religious traditions. • Actions from a past life can affect events in the current life, including health and wellbeing14. By increasing your knowledge of nursing care specific to each religion, you can better meet patients' spiritual needs and make their healthcare experience more pleasant. The advent of science in our society pushed a separation of faith and science. Never impose your religious views on the patient or family because doing so can cause great emotional distress. accumulates karma, which can affect current and future lives. In the centuries past, religious leaders and … Donna Marie White, DNP, RN, is an associate professor of nursing and associate editor for Journal of Christian Nursing.She is passionate about publishing material that provides encouragement, inspiration, and resources to provoke nurses to think about how they can integrate a Christian worldview into their workplace and give glory to God in every part of their lives. • Along with Catholicism the use of magicoreligious is common: – Candles with pictures of saints Religion and nursing practice Adherence to the particular set of beliefs, values, and practices that constitute their religion may be of great importance to patients and their families. 3 . Linda S. Rieg, PhD, RN, CNE, is a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University School of Nursing, Marion, Indiana.Her teaching and research interests include spiritual care and theory. 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