Reservations Working with Sister Mary. What possible reservations could a healthcare professional have in working with Sister Mary? (Discuss the psychosocial responses the professional might have.) Answer: Health professionals meet people from different backgrounds. Religious and spiritual beliefs must be considered when treating or caring for patients with a religious background. This is because diverse spiritual and religious beliefs impact patient experiences and influence their treatment decisions (Timmins & Caldeira, 2017). Additionally, they impact decisions regarding diet and medicine based on animal products, modesty, and the preferred gender of their health providers. There are several reservations associated with caring for Roman Catholic-affiliated patients. For instance, religion considers suffering as punishment from God. This may be difficult for health professionals from other religions to process, but they should not interrogate the patient regarding the same. Therefore, questions regarding Mary’s beliefs should be avoided. However, it is important for the healthcare team responsible for understanding sister Mary’s preferences regarding health, illness, pain management, and discomfort without questioning her religion. Falvo (2011) asserts that healthcare professionals must understand how patient culture shapes their perspectives regarding illness and treatment and their willingness to follow treatment recommendations. Reservations Working with Sister Mary
Another reservation that must be made when attending to sister Mary is the time management issue. The patient’s prayer schedule is expected to contradict the treatment process at some point. In such a case, the health professional in charge should not be hard on her because that will compromise the treatment process. The patient should be allowed to exercise her freedom of worship even when it contradicts. Questions related to husband and children should be avoided because nuns are not allowed to marry according to the Roman Catholic religion. However, if the patient introduces a person as a husband, the healthcare team in charge should not question. Furthermore, sister Mary may ask for a priest for the ‘Sacrament of the Sick.’ Although the health team may not be conversant with it, they must allow the prayer to facilitate the patient’s needs appropriately. Reservations Working with Sister Mary