Solution
Soumi answered on
Mar 10 2020
Running Head: GERMAN AND IRISH CASE STUDIES 1
GERMAN AND IRISH CASE STUDIES 10
GERMAN AND IRISH CASE STUDIES
Table of Contents
German Case Study 3
1. 3
2. 3
3. 3
4. 3
5. 3
6. 4
7. 4
8. 4
9. 4
10. 4
11. 5
12. 5
13. 5
Irish Case Study 6
1. 6
2. 6
3. 6
4. 6
5. 6
6. 6
7. 6
8. 7
9. 7
10. 7
11. 7
12. 7
13. 8
References 9
German Case Study
1.
My experiences with patients of German descent have been a mixed one, comprising of both good and bad experiences. On one hand, where I have found them very specific and aware about their health conditions, on the other hand, I have also had experiences of being in a difficult situation, while convincing them to accept other methods of care, due to their staunch beliefs.
2.
Belonging to the German ancestry, Margaret had the typical faith in homeopathy, which is generally evident in Germans. As viewed by Rambachan (2018), the practices of homeopathy being founded by Samuel Hahnemann, who was a German physician, most of the Germans trust this form of medicine more than any other types of medications. Therefore, Margaret also believed in it and practiced it personally for the last 10 years. Besides, her abstaining away from the traditional pain management therapies for her cancer also solidifies her strong belief in the concept of afterlife.
3.
Margaret’s self-prescribed medical regimen comprised of homeopathy and recommendations from her medical intuitionist. On the contrary, her family as well as medical staff supported the use of western medicines such as those under allopathy and traditional pain management for cancer. These differences complicated Margaret’s approach, because as mentioned by Hosking, Sargent-Cox and Anstey (2015), self-medication, according to Western medicines, should be done in consultation with a prescribed physician and comprise of scientific methods. However, Margaret’s approach defied all these.
4.
In my opinion, homeopathic remedies do have advantages for the user in terms of being safe and in accordance with most of their illnesses, identified only on the grounds of their symptoms. However, as contradicted by Knauss, Gunther, Belardi, Morley and von Lersner (2015), the most prominent disadvantage for healthcare professional of using homeopathic remedies is that it is extensively time-consuming, which is not appropriate for complicated medical conditions that are harming the patients faster, such as that in case of cancer. Therefore, I would not recommend using homeopathy for Margaret.
5.
My perspectives do not support the use of medical intuitionists, because I believe it is a non-scientific, non-evident form of treatment practice, which cannot validate any medical condition. Besides, as viewed by Horowitz et al. (2017), non-Western health practices do not have sufficient evident bases, which defies their effectiveness.
6.
Comparing my healthcare choices with those of Margaret, I could infer that they differed drastically. While I supported the use of evidence-based practices and Western medical practices for reducing her cancer pains, she believed in sustaining them, so that she could die soon and meet her dead husband in an afterlife. She also prayed and insisted others for the same to achieve a peaceful death, which I could not agree with, as being a care professional, it is my duty to save the lives of people or help them live peacefully, if they have terminal diseases, instead of letting them wait for death.
7.
Being a healthcare professional, I try to abstain from including cultural beliefs into my practices as according to Sandberg, Rodriguez, Howard, Quandt and Arcury (2017), a care provider should believe in providing evidence-based care that is devoid of any cultural bias. However, I do respect the cultural beliefs, if any, of the service users and try to understand their health practices. Hence, I respected Margaret’s homeopathy practices. Nevertheless, I could not agree with her use of medical...