The Practice of Health care Providers.

Posted: December 30th, 2022

The Practice of Health care Providers.

The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faith expressions; for the purpose of this course, the focus will be on the Christian worldview. Based on “Case Study: End of Life Decisions,” the Christian worldview, and the worldview questions presented in the required topic study materials you will complete an ethical analysis of George’s situation and his decision from the perspective of the Christian worldview.The Practice of Health care Providers.

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Provide a 1,500-2,000-word ethical analysis while answering the following questions: How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world? How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection? As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person? What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia? Based on the values and considerations above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why? Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation? Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials.The Practice of Health care Providers. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.The Practice of Health care Providers.

Abstract
Christians believe that there is an all-powerful or omnipotent God who is also omnipresent and omniscient. Aside from this, many facets of life of Christians are governed by the teachings of the Holy Bible. This is the Christian worldview. In this case study of George, a situation that brings about an ethical dilemma portends. Having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, he will soon not be able to talk, move, eat or breathe. The moral and ethical question that therefore arises is whether or not he can choose to have voluntary euthanasia, given that ALS is not curable.The Practice of Health care Providers.
Key words: Christian worldview, ALS, euthanasia, fallenness.

Case Study on George, Diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS: Dealing with Death and Dying and Having to Make Difficult Ethical Decisions in the Context of Christian Worldview
It is undeniable that many people in the world believe that there is a God above us who controls everything that happens in this world. Majority of these people profess the Christian faith and believe that their God is an all-powerful (omnipotent) God who also happens to be omnipresent (present everywhere) and omniscient (knows everything). However, there are evil things that go on in the world that make a substantial section of the himan race want to believe that there is no God. The fact that evil can happen unabated, good people can be killed, and incurable diseases can afflict people causing them untold suffering and death all make rhis section of the world’s population believe that the presence of this all-powerful God is just but a myth.The Practice of Health care Providers. For why would he allow his good people to suffer and die from disease and evil? This paper analyzes the ethics involved in the case of George who has been diagnosed with incurable Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. The disease will eventually render him incapable of breathing unless assisted by a machine for the rest of his life. He is thus contemplating having voluntary euthanasia where he gives permission for the machine to be switched off or for drugs to be injected in him so that he can die instead of suffering. This will be done in a backdrop of the Christian worldview.The Practice of Health care Providers.
Fallenness of the World
George who is currently 50 years of age has lived a full and active life. He is a successful attorney and legal scholar who also teaches at the university. Apart from that, he is a family man and is involved in the coaching of his teenage son’s basketball team. This means that he is also athletic and a physical fitness fanatic. But all this is about to change because George has just been diagnosed with the early signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. This is a degenerative neuronal disease that causes a deterioration of the myelin sheath around motor neurons. The result is the loss of some vital motor functions controlled by the affected nerves (Hammer & McPhee, 2018; Huether & McCance, 2017). George will therefore soon lose his ability to talk, move, eat, or breathe. What’s more traumatising is that the disease is not curable and worsens gradually to a point of no return.The Practice of Health care Providers.
But how would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, if one may ask? How would he interpret the suffering considering that the concept of the fallenness of the world is a reality? Well, in the Christian context there is Job whom God allowed to suffer and be tested by the devil. Being a Christian, George would view his illness and suffering from this standpoint. He would view his situation as a test of his faith and belief in God. However, the reality of the fallenness of the world will nit escape him. And it is this reality that will make him question the very existence of God himself. Fallenness of the world refers to the fact that the world is filled with suffering and evil, and that human beings are afflicted by pain and suffering from natural causes (Dickinson, 2019). As such, George may find himself questioning whether the Christian God really exists. For why would he allow him to suffer like this?The Practice of Health care Providers.
Hope of Resurrection
In the New Testament, Jesus suffered immensely from the persecution of the earthly authorities of the time who eventually crucified and killed him. But the Bible teaches that Jesus was the son of God. It had therefore been prophesied much earlier that he would be crucified, be dead for three days, and rise from the dead on the third day. As a Christian, George would have every reason to believe that he would resurrect when the world as we know it finally comes to an end as written in the Bible. His belief in this eventuality would not be shaken by the fact of the fallenness of the world as he knows it and now experiences at a personal level.The Practice of Health care Providers.
Life with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Having been afflicted with the incurable ALS, George is definitely bound to think about the value of his life as a human being. Being a Christian, life is sacred and must be guarded at all times, regardless of its quality. The Christian worldview holds that only God gives life and also takes it. No other person has the right to take someone else’s life, including their own. With tbis in mind, George is bound to be tormented with the thought of exercising his autonomy as prescribed by the bioethical principle of autonomy. This is where a person or patient affected by disease makes the conscious decision of how their care should proceed. He would also ponder over whether to make the decision that would do the greatest good to himself and his family as dictated by beneficence (such as considering voluntary euthanasia), or respect the sanctity of life (as espoused by the Christian worldview) and continue to suffer. This is an ethical dilemma compounded by the Christian belief of the value of life, but which George will have to finally deal with.The Practice of Health care Providers.
Contemplating Euthanasia in the Context of the Values and Considerations of the Christian Worldview
There are several values and considerations that the Christian worldview wiuld consider, even as the question of whether George should opt for euthanasia or not is addressed. As stated earlier, the principal position of the Christian worldview is that all life is sacred regardless of the quality. This directly translates to the position that no one except God should take life. However, there are special circumstances that may warrant consideration of the patient’s and their family’s welfare and wellbeing (beneficence and nonmaleficence). For instance, the Christian worldview will consider whether the person affected (in this case, George) can be productive and support himself. The answer to this question is negative, especially in the latter stages of ALS. It will also consider the suffering and pain that George will be going through. Will the life be wirth preserving if that will be the cause of suffering for George? The third consideration will be whether George will be in a position to continue serving God’s purpose on earth through his deeds. The answer will be negative. George will not be able to do anything and will rely fully on others to live. Last but not least, the Christian worldview will also consider the effect of George’s position on the long-term emotional and psychological wellbeing of his family.The Practice of Health care Providers. Keeping George alive without a realistic chance of feeling better will only be subjecting his family to a lifetime of torment and suffering as well. In all, after looking at all the values and considerations from a Christian worldview perspective, ut would seem that euthanasia would be a viable and the better option.
A Morally Justified Option in the Christian Worldview
After going through the values and considerations above, the Christian worldview has to settle for one morally justified option. This is an option that must bring the greatest good to George and his family ( beneficence), must allow George and his family to exercise theor right to decide the direction of care (autonomy), must not do harm (psychologically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually) to George and his family (nonmaleficence), and must give George and his family all the options of management available to confront the situation without bias (justice).The Practice of Health care Providers. Having considered all the factors, it is clear that the Christian worldview option that is morally acceptable in this case will be voluntary euthanasia. This is the only option at the moment that is able to tick all the above described moral and ethical boxes of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. Allowing George to continue living when his life will completely depend on a ventilator machine will not be wise at all. Apart from the emotional, physical, and psychological suffering George and his family will undergo (Corey, 2013), the economic cost will be immense. Ventilators that help patients breathe are typically gound in the intensive care units (ICU) of big hospitals. A single day’s stay on one of these machines in the ICU is usually in the region of USD 100. Morally, allowing George to drain all the family resources when the outcome will never improve is tantamount to subjecting the rest of his family to a life of poverty and want. His children might not be able to go to school or have enough to eat, just because he was being kept alive by a costly machine yet he woukd never walk or talk again.The Practice of Health care Providers.
What Would be the Rational Decision to Make, Viewing the Situation from Outside
Looking at the situation from a neutral outside position, I would also choose euthanasia if I were in George’s position. This is because of the reasons already given in the immediate preceding section.
Conclusion
The Christian worldview shapes the view of the the world that Christians have towards various issues. One of these issues is the value and sanctity of life. As much as there is an all-powerful God who gives and protects life , there is also the reality of the fallenness of the world which states that human beings do suffer and get afflicted by disease and pain from natural causes. When afflicted, there is a delicate balance that has to be struck between what the Christian worldview states and what is morally and ethically sound given the prevailing situation. Euthanasia is a case in point.The Practice of Health care Providers.