Components of a Healing Hospital and Their Relationship to Spirituality
There are three main constituents of a healing hospital that include a healing physical environment, a culture of deep-seated tender care and incorporation of technology. These factors play an important role in the success of a healing hospital. This paper looks at the components of a healing hospital as well as the challenges encountered during the creation of a healing environment. The paper also looks at the Biblical aspects that support the concept of a healing hospital.
Creating a curative physical environment entails the provision of a quiet environment to allow patients to have adequate rest, which is associated with faster regeneration of cells hence fast-tracking the process of recuperation (Eberst, 2006). Tangible modifications may be needed to attain this objective. For example, it is necessary to minimize noise by carpeting the patient care areas, installing silencers on cleaning machinery and implementing a rule that bans overhead paging except in urgent situations. A quiet environment also aids in the alleviation of stress among patients, their families, as well as health care workers.
Nurturing a tradition of deep-seated tender care entails paying specialized attention to every patient and ensuring that the patients’ needs supersede all others. For example, when a patient switches on his call light, any employee who sees the light should go to the patient’s room and attend to the patient regardless of their position in the health care facility. Additionally, when attending to the patient, the health care provider needs to ensure that the patient’s spiritual and emotional needs are met.
Integrating work design and technology into the hospital involves making the hospital in a way that improves the efficiency of staff and enhances the privacy and security of patients. For example, having separate elevators for the patients, staff and hospital visitors assures a patient of minimal chances of bumping into a neighbor in the lifts. Patient privacy also upholds the dignity of patients during their hospital stay, which is often a stressful period. The provision of some forms of entertainment such as music, games and reading materials also improves the patients’ stay in the hospital. A hospital should strive to ensure that it has technologically advanced equipment to improve patient experiences by expediting the getting of test outcomes to minimize patients’ unease.
Challenges of Creating a Healing Environment
Setting up the constituents of a healing hospital is a challenging process that requires certain obstacles to be overcome. The first challenge is assimilating the philosophy of a healing hospital into the health care workers and other staff members (Kreitzer & Koithan, 2014). There should be smooth communication and corporate responsibility to patients. It is vital to hire employees with the right skills to ensure that all patients’ needs are met. The provision of deep-seated tender care requires a team that holds the values of a healing hospital to enable the provision of holistic care to patients by meeting their bodily, religious and emotional requirements.
Creating a healing physical environment and incorporating technology into the work design of the hospital have heavy financial implications that most hospitals are unable to meet. For example, the carpeting of hallways, providing alternative means of communication and installing silencers on hospital machinery is quite costly. Additionally, improving the hospitals technology involves purchasing equipment with the latest technology, which is very expensive. Therefore, attaining these objectives requires that the related financial barriers are overcome.
Biblical Aspects That Support the Concept of a Healing Hospital
The philosophy of a healing hospital aligns with Jeremiah 33:6, which is a passage that advocates health and healing of the people to facilitate the enjoyment of goodwill and protection. In healing hospitals, care providers expedite the bodily, mental and spiritual healing of patients, which results in a feeling of security and peace.
Case Study on Moral Status
Fetal Abnormality
Theories Used by Jessica, Marco, Maria, and Dr. Wilson to Determine the Moral Status of the Fetus
Jessica, Marco, and Dr. Wilson use the Actual Future Principle to determine the moral status of the fetus. According to this theory, an early fetus that will become a person has some moral status while an early fetus that is likely to pass on while still a fetus does not have any moral status (Harman, 1999). Therefore, this theory proposes that the actual future of the early fetus determines whether or not it has moral status. They see that he fetus’ future is uncertain due to its deformity and the possibility of having Down’s syndrome. Maria, conversely, uses the Virtue Theory to decide the fate of the fetus. She believes that life is sacred and that God’s will in the fetus’ life should come to pass (Hursthouse, 1991).
How the Theory Determine or Influence Each of their Recommendation for Action
The Actual Future Principle proposes that the fetus does not have a moral status because of its bleak future. Therefore terminating the pregnancy is the best choice for all parties.
The Theory I agree with and How it Determines or Influences the Recommendation for Action
I agree with the Actual Future Principle. This theory influences the choice to have the pregnancy terminated to prevent harmful consequences in the future. The fetus does not have a bright future and proceeding with the pregnancy is likely to lead to psychological anguish to the parents and feelings of rejection on the child because the parents are not ready to have the child and feel that a deformed child would be a burden.
References
Eberst, L. (2006). Healing hospital. Web.
Harman, E. (1999). Creation ethics: The moral status of early fetuses and the ethics of abortion. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 28(4), 310-324.
Hursthouse, R. (1991). Virtue theory and abortion. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 20(3), 223-246.
Kreitzer, M. J. & Koithan, M. (2014). Integrative nursing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.