Health care professionals’ guide to religions

Written by the lead chaplain of the UK National Health Service’s National Chaplaincy Strategy, this handbook is designed to serve as an accessible reference for health care professionals seeking to understand various practices and beliefs associated with a range of faiths. As the book was produced in the United Kingdom, it focuses on faiths which are most widely practised there (Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam), but also includes less familiar traditions such as Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Mormonism, Baha’i, and even paganism.

The bulk of the book is devoted to detailed examinations of each religious tradition, presented in an easy-to-use format. Sections provide basic information on the history of the faith and core tenets, and outline beliefs associated with key areas related to care, including attitudes toward illness; gender and privacy; naming, diet, and hygiene; birth, dying, and death; contraception and assisted reproductive technologies; and organ/tissue donation. The author is careful to note the diversity of beliefs within faiths where relevant (for instance, within Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism there are debates over the permissibility of organ donation).

The book includes a thoughtful set of introductory chapters that explore cultural and religious diversity in health care, as well as spiritual care for patients. They promote the idea that health care professionals must maintain open minds with regard to patients, and to avoid stereotyping on the basis of religion or culture, in order to provide sensitive and appropriate care.

Hollins notes in her preface that this book should be placed at nursing stations and other places where it can be easily accessed for quick answers. It must be noted that there are some local differences in belief systems between the UK and Australia, but as a preliminary guide to religious beliefs in health care, this is an excellent resource.