TANENBAUM CENTER FOR INTERRELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING · 2016-07-18 · Learning Objectives 1. RECOGNIZE challenges that patients, providers and health care institutions face around the

Religion and Health Care:

Solutions for Patient, Provider and

Institutional Challenges

TANENBAUM CENTER FOR

INTERRELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING

Eliza Blanchard, Assistant Director, Workplace & Health Care

© 2013 TANENBAUM / Center for Interreligious Understanding. All rights reserved.

Our Work

Conflict

Resolution

Workplace Health Care Education

The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding

promotes mutual respect with practical programs that bridge

religious difference and combat prejudice.


Learning Objectives

1. RECOGNIZE challenges that patients, providers and health

care institutions face around the intersections of religion and

health care.

2. IDENTIFY strategies to address challenges and leverage

opportunities related to the intersection of religion and health

care.

3. BRAINSTORM initial steps as to how to implement key

strategies to their respective institutions.



Diversity of Patients and Providers

Demographic Diversity

• The U.S. foreign-born population nearly tripled to 12.9% of the

population since 1970.

• In 1970, 62% came from Europe. Today, 12% come from

Europe.

Religious Diversity, Fluidity, and Flexibility

• There is great diversity within traditions (i.e., there are

approximately 41,000 Christian denominations in the world).

• Increase in unaffiliated adults: 20% of the American population

identifies as “unaffiliated” (atheist, agnostic, nothing in particular).

• About half of Americans have changed their faith – at least once.

1. U.S. Census Bureau , 2010

2. Center for Study of Global Christianity at Goden-Conwell Theological Seminar, 2011

3. Pew, 2012, “Nones on the Rise”

4. Pew, 2011, “Faith in Flux”

Religious Bias in the Workplace

© 2014 TANENBAUM / Center for Interreligious Understanding. All rights reserved.Tanenbaum Survey “What American Workers Really Think About Religion” (August 2013)

• Over one-third (36%) of American workers have personally

experienced or witnessed religious “non-accommodation.”

• White evangelical Protestant workers (48%) are equally as

likely as non-Christian workers (49%) to report religious non-

accommodation at work.

• Two-in-five (40%) atheists also report religious non-

accommodation at work.

• The most common experiences of religious non-

accommodation are:

• being required to work on the Sabbath or a religious

holiday (24%).

• attending company-sponsored events that do not offer

kosher, halal, or vegetarian options (13%).

Religion in the Health Care Workplace

© 2014 TANENBAUM / Center for Interreligious Understanding. All rights reserved.Tanenbaum Survey “What American Workers Really Think About Religion” (August 2013)

• Nearly half (48%) of American health care workers have

personally experienced or witnessed religious “non-

accommodation.”

• Workers in the health care industry are more likely than

workers overall to discuss religion in the workplace and

have a coworker who shares their religious beliefs with

them.

• Health care workplaces have policies around religious

identities:

• 30% of health care workers have holiday swapping

policies (compared to 21% of other workers)

• 68% of health care workers have policies around dress

or facial hair (compared to 55% of other workers)

Case to Consider: A hospital in Maine

A hospital in Maine is experiencing a high “no show” rate of Muslim

women from African countries, particularly Somalia. As many as three

out of 10 women from this population are skipping their appointments.

Instructions: In groups of 4, brainstorm at least 3 concrete strategies

you would recommend that this institution use to better understand

why this is happening.


http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-08-13/news/0408130213_1_muslim-women-gown-patient

Associated Press. (2004). Revealing hospital gowns redesigned. MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5733742/ns/health-health_care/t/revealing-hospital-gowns-

redesigned/

The Resolution


• The hospital discovered that Muslim

women were cancelling appointments

and delaying care because they were

ashamed to wear the revealing

hospital gowns.

• The standard gown was redesigned to

provide extra coverage for patients

who wanted it.

• The hospital experienced a lasting

increase in Muslim patients accessing

preventive care and a decrease in

cancelled appointments.

Associated Press. (2004). Revealing hospital gowns redesigned. MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5733742/ns/health-health_care/t/revealing-hospital-gowns-redesigned/

Summary of Recommendations

• Be proactive, not reactive.

• Track demographic changes within patient population.

• Engage with faith community representatives.

• Work back from YES!

Assessment

• Establish leadership commitment.

• Identify & engage “champions.”

• Commit to ongoing training of all staff to obtain and maintain buy-in.

Engagement

• Develop a system for taking a spiritual & cultural history.

• Formalize a system for documenting information.

• Communicate action plan across departments and roles.Implementation

• Track impact of implementation.

• Measure impact to demonstrate efficacy of interventions.Evaluation


Trigger Topics


Dietary Requirements

Dress & Modesty

Hygiene

Informed Consent

Observance of Holy Days and Rituals

Acceptance of Drugs and Procedures

Blood and Blood Products

Conscience Rules

Prayer with Patients

Proselytizing

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Organ Transplants and Donations

Reproductive Health

Pregnancy & Birth

End-of-Life

10 Bias Danger Signs


A Case to Consider

A Sikh physician has recently started wearing a full beard due to his

religious beliefs regarding uncut hair. Sikhs wear five articles of faith,

called the Five Ks. One of these is kesh, or uncut hair on any part of

their body, which is mandatory for both men and women.

The physician’s beard is in conflict with the hospital’s policy on safety

and hygiene, which states that male employees must be clean-

shaven. How would you respond?


The Accommodation Mindset: Eight Steps

1. Get the Facts

2. Recognize All Employees’ Needs

3. Ask Respectful Questions

4. Identify Any Limitations

5. Be Creative

6. Communicate

7. Educate

8. Institutionalize

Session Debrief

1. What concrete steps can you take at your own institution to

establish/enhance a religiously inclusive environment and mindset?

2. What challenges will you need to address?

3. What opportunities, unique to your institution, can you capitalize

on?

Questions?


Documents

TANENBAUM CENTER FOR INTERRELIGIOUS UNDERSTANDING · 2016-07-18 · Learning Objectives 1. RECOGNIZE challenges that patients, providers and health care institutions face around the