Amish Studies – Health, Essay Example

Introduction

The population of Amish approach health care in a different manner far from other denominations. Majority of Amish people prefer using traditional methods in treating the ill disadvantaged. This is mainly due to religious practices as well as cultural values they believe in.

According to Amish beliefs and culture, they only value to be attended by the doctors well known to them and who understands their medical practices on treatment. According to a survey by McCnnell and Hurst (2004), they noted that Amish patients are very good when it comes to be served by doctors who preserve their beliefs in the process of treatment (Blair & Hurst, 1997). It is argued that Amish mostly prefer to be treated by doctors of their backgrounds. In the case of ER nurse and the Amish patient, the nurse after discovering that the Amish patient was suffering from tuberculosis, which is a chronicle disease could have advised the patient’s son and his colleagues that under HIPAA and Public Health Disclosures act, that if a patient is at risk of either contracting or spreading a disease, a health care practitioner has powers to disclose any available information related on patients health to expose out the disease but only if the covered entity is authorized by lawful mechanisms (Stevick, 2006). The nurse could have advised the patient’s colleagues that it was her duty as a professional healthcare practitioner to carry out her duties without considering any kind of beliefs they came with. Tuberculosis is a disease that threatens human safety of other individuals sand letting the patient go untreated was not a professional way of solving the issue. The nurse should have stood by public health rules that such a disease was a serious one and there was no way cultural beliefs could be given priority over the process of medical treatment

Case study

In the case study of Meyer (2004), it was on a cold morning when a call was received coming from a family of Amish. The family was seeking for assistance of their very old (93 years old) and sick mother been diagnosed of heart failure. The son of the sick mother was not at home but her daughter was present and she greeted the emergency response team and answered questions about her mother’s condition. The sick madam (Mrs. T) as well as other members of the family never needed any services of heroic kind all that they wanted was comfort care to her. Her condition was in a very bad state and she was breathing with hard labor with some kind of stoke respirations.

The ER team tried to explain to them the importance of medical treatment as well as offering oxygen to the patient to add comfort to her but they never saw any need for it. the nurses went back to that homestead three times but the family insisted on their cultural beliefs and not to depend on medical treatment. According to polacek & Martinez (2009), the relevant role of health practitioners is to provide medical treatment to people with some aspects of caring on cultural background beliefs of the patient (Polacek & Martinez, 2009). HealthCare facilities should also understand different beliefs as well as cultural traditions practiced by some cultural groups in order to deliver competent health services that are culturally effective. However, under HIPAA Privacy Rule, healthcare practitioners should be responsible when it comes to ensure health of the citizens. It is the duty of medical practitioners to treat all patients without any discrimination or considering one’s cultural belief, but should only consider professional treatment that is practical.

References

Black, P (2008). A guide to providing culturally appropriate care. Gastrointestinal Nursing

Blair, R & Hurst, C (1997). Amish health care. The Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health

Polacek, G & Martinez, R (2009). Assessing cultural competence at a local hospital system in the United States. The Health Care Manager,

Stevick, P (2006). Beyond the plain and simple. A patchwork of Amish lives. Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press.

Weyer, S, Hustey, V, Rathbun, L, Armstrong, L & Ronyak, J (2003). A look into the Amish culture: What should we learn? Journal of Transcultural Nursing