Cultural and Religious Implications for Healthcare

While I realize this is a bit off topic for me, it is something that we've been discussing in my Assistive Technology curriculum and I wanted to share a bit. So indulge me! :P

The acceptance of refusal of an individual to follow a healthcare or treatment regimen has been an issue as long as there has been organized healthcare. When someone who has been duly informed of the possible repercussions and consequences of their informed choice to accept or reject treatment, then I believe they have the right to make that decision. However, when the patient is a child and the decision must be made for them, my feelings take a sharp turn. For a child to be made to suffer or be faced with even more dangerous consequences due to a belief they may not even understand is simply wrong. I understand the parents need to make informed consent decisions for their children, but when those decisions are clearly not in the best interest of the child's general health and welfare, it is necessary for an outside agency to step in and advocate for them.

Many factors, including cultural and religious beliefs or teachings can play a role in determining whether or not someone may accept a prescribed course of treatment. Some examples that come to mind are certain Native American beliefs regarding the use of some types of radiological imaging and exploratory procedures. A major controversy that is currently ongoing is the discussions over the use of Stem Cell Research by various religious groups. These are some drastic examples, but the issue can also be as simple as a (in my opinion) misguided parent refusing to vaccinate a child against possibly horrific, life threatening diseases such as Polio or SmallPox. Many of these parents dilusionally believe that they are protecting their children against a greater evil, such as those that believe the MMR vaccination causes Autism.

I, as a general rule, refuse to take prescribed narcotics unless the pain or discomfort I am experiencing is simply too much to bear. I do not like the side effects these drugs have on me and I would rather avoid them if at all possible.

The statements I have made here do have to be taken in the context of an individual patients case however. There can be any number of extenuating circumstances that can influence the decision to accept or reject treatment. An example that comes to mind is a child who has been unsuccessfully battling crippling cancer for years and is being prescribed yet another excruciatingly painful series of treatments that only have a 5% chance of having any benefit. In this case, I can see the family questioning the wisdom of what they see as a torturous existence. While this is an extreme example, it demonstrates the need for health care professionals to treat individual patients, not just a condition on a chart.

Cheers til next time!