The Jewish Heritage Beliefs About Healthcare

Introduction

Different cultures have diverse traditions, beliefs, morals, and values in the world. Healthcare professionals should understand and embrace cultural diversity (Coleman, 2019). The reason is that knowledgeable clinicians can provide competent care to all patients, not considering their ethnicity, gender, or religion. The Jews are among the people with strong religious beliefs concerning the healthcare profession (Coleman, 2019). It is essential to identify the Judaism perception of healthcare and how the Jews expect clinicians to behave themselves.

Main body

The Judaism laws do not allow men and women to be alone in secluded areas if they are not a couple. Halevy and Halevy (2018) expound that this perception is applied in the medical profession because a male physician and a female client should not be enclosed. Doe (2018) explains that the provisions to allow privacy in healthcare examination rooms are provided by Halacha. Yichud prohibits male physicians from being alone with female patients or a woman clinician with a man in examination rooms unless specific requirements are met (Salaymeh and Septimus, 2017). As a result, the patients who observe Halacha prefer being treated by healthcare providers of a similar gender (Halevy and Halevy, 2018). However, treatment from the opposite gender is permitted if the clinician is an expert in that field.

Yichud issues are addressed in different ways in such situations. For instance, the patient’s husband or wife can be present during the medical checkup (Salaymeh and Septimus, 2017). Additionally, the examination room should be accessible if the patient is alone with a clinician from the opposite gender. However, the door can be left open if the healthcare topic is not too private (Salaymeh and Septimus, 2017). Therefore, treatment becomes more comfortable for Jewish patients if clinicians understand what should be done differently.

Patients who receive the anesthesia medication are put into a deep sleep and are incapable of hearing, feeling, or seeing anything during an operation. As an aesthetic nurse, I would advise Mrs. Lisa and her husband about the dangers of cancer and the essentiality of the hysterectomy. The Jews believe that individuals should seek medical help if the condition is critical and can result in death within twelve months (Doe, 2018). I can ensure that the door is closed, but the room remains accessible for female physicians. The spouse can also be allowed to wait in the corridor as the surgery continues. It is crucial to ensure that other female clinicians are in the room to enhance the patient’s comfort.

Healthcare professionals and individuals who take care of ill people should not interfere with their beliefs and traditions. For instance, the Jews believe in covering their heads and not being mixed with their opposite gender (Cho, 2017). Additionally, they wash every hand three times after waking up; therefore, sick people should be washed by people of the same sex. The Jews love KOSHER foods; thus, caretakers should consult them before preparing any meal. Cho (2017) explains that these individuals highly value the Sabbath, which begins before Friday’s sunset and Saturday after the sunset. The traditional ceremonies held during this holy day are crucial, and people taking care of patients should be aware of it and do what is expected (Cho, 2017). The caretaker can devote themselves to doing simple tasks such as switching off the lights on this day without complaining.

Conclusion

In summary, understanding the traditions and beliefs of different patients enables healthcare professionals to offer quality care. The Jewish people believe that men and women should not be in an enclosed place if they are not married. As an anesthetic nurse, I would ensure that I alert the patient and her spouse about my healthcare plan and ensure that they are comfortable. People who take care of Jewish patients should maintain hygiene, ask about their preferred diet and ensure that people of the same gender wash them.

References

Cho, J. H. (2017). The Sabbath Law Controversy between the Matthean Community and Formative Judaism (Matt 11: 28-12: 14 and 24: 20). Canon and Culture, 11(2), 179-200. Web.

Coleman, D. E. (2019). Evidence-based nursing practice: The challenges of health care and cultural diversity. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 19(4), 330-338. Web.

Doe, N. (2018). Comparative Religious Law: Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Cambridge University Press.

Halevy, J., & Halevy, A. (2018). Jewish Religious Perspectives in the Israeli Healthcare System. In Religious Perspectives on Social Responsibility in Health (pp. 155-161). Web.

Salaymeh, L., and Septimus, Z. (2017). Temporalities of Marriage: Jewish and Islamic Legal Debates. In Talmudic Transgressions (pp. 201-239). Brill. Web.