Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion [Paperback]

Neville A. Kirkwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

In our religiously pluralistic society, clergy, medical and nursing staffs in modern hospitals are confronted with caring for people with varied beliefs and customs. Since the overall care of a patient, and not just the surgeries performed or medicines given, affect an individual's recovery, it is vitally important to be familiar with cultural and religious understandings and expectations around hygiene, pastoral care, autopsies, transfusions, and even the practices associated with death itself.

A Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion is a succinct guide to the care of patients from a variety of faith perspectives: Christian, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhist, B'hai, and others. Each chapter examines not only the customs themselves, but the significance of certain rites and attitudes, supplying health care workers and chaplains with the information they need to provide the best care possible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... down-to-earth, brief essays... quick guide to permitted or prohibited foods... It's a tool for more situations than hospital visits... -- NET Results, October 2000

From the Back Cover

In our religiously pluralistic society clergy, and medical and nursing staffs in modern hospitals are confronted with caring for people with varied beliefs and customs. Since the overall care of a patient, and not just the surgeries performed or medicines given, affect an individual's recovery, it is vitally important to be familiar with cultural and religious understandings and expectations around hygiene, pastoral care, autopsies, transfusions, and even the practices associated with death itself.

The Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion is a succinct guide to the care of patients from a variety of faith perspectives: Christian, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhist, B'hai, and others. Each chapter examines not only the customs themselves, but the significance of certain rites and attitudes, supplying health care workers and chaplains with the information they need to provide the best care possible.

Category: Pastoral care

Dr. Neville Kirkwood is an author, lecturer, and preacher and has served in cross-cultural mission in India for seventeen years and as a hospital chaplain in Australia for eighteen years. He earned his Doctorate of Ministry at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, California, and has served in many capacities, including President, of the Australian College of Chaplains.

Wise and practical advice for hospital visitors, lay or clergy

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Morehouse Publishing (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081921793X
• ISBN-13: 978-0819217936
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,583,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Introduction to Multicultural beliefs and health, March 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion (Paperback)

I am a hospice chaplain and pastor. I have found the book to be helpful in providing a very basic overview of some of the major cultural customs and beliefs regarding health and illness. Kirkwood, a protestant Christian chaplain, touches on the surface of some of the major facets of a broad sampling of religions and what they believe about health and illness. My main criticism of the book is that it does not give a thorough, or entirely accurate portrayal of all the different religious cultures that Kirkwood claims to address. There is such a plurality of beliefs and customs- even within one faith tradition, that a book of this scope is grossly inadequate, even for lay readers. You WILL learn some basic, very general guidelines- for instance general dietary concerns, attitudes towards autopsies and transfusions,etc. My greatest fear with this book is that healthcare professionals- or even chaplains will pick it up or another book like it and after reading it think that they know what a patient or family member would want based on what religious background they are affiliated with. Your best resource for understanding a patient or family member's needs- religious or otherwise is still TO ASK THEM. The best way to understand another person's cultural beliefs is to allow them to educate us. Anton Boisen, the pioneer of modern Clinical Pastoral Education, once said that we are all "living human documents." In other words, general cultural knowledge is well and good, but it can NEVER relieve us, as caring professionals of the responsibility to properly inform, and learn the needs of those whom we serve- namely patients and family members. Ask them what their needs are, inform them properly, and give them the autonomy and respect they deserve.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Introduction to Multicultural beliefs and health, March 29, 2001

By 

J "peacemover" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion (Paperback)

I am a hospice chaplain and pastor. I have found the book to be helpful in providing a very basic overview of some of the major cultural customs and beliefs regarding health and illness. Kirkwood, a protestant Christian chaplain, touches on the surface of some of the major facets of a broad sampling of religions and what they believe about health and illness. My main criticism of the book is that it does not give a thorough, or entirely accurate portrayal of all the different religious cultures that Kirkwood claims to address. There is such a plurality of beliefs and customs- even within one faith tradition, that a book of this scope is grossly inadequate, even for lay readers. You WILL learn some basic, very general guidelines- for instance general dietary concerns, attitudes towards autopsies and transfusions,etc. My greatest fear with this book is that healthcare professionals- or even chaplains will pick it up or another book like it and after reading it think that they know what a patient or family member would want based on what religious background they are affiliated with. Your best resource for understanding a patient or family member's needs- religious or otherwise is still TO ASK THEM. The best way to understand another person's cultural beliefs is to allow them to educate us. Anton Boisen, the pioneer of modern Clinical Pastoral Education, once said that we are all "living human documents." In other words, general cultural knowledge is well and good, but it can NEVER relieve us, as caring professionals of the responsibility to properly inform, and learn the needs of those whom we serve- namely patients and family members. Ask them what their needs are, inform them properly, and give them the autonomy and respect they deserve.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! A must-read for doctors, nurses and chaplains., February 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion (Paperback)

There are times when dealing with someone facing a major illness or death that a wall comes up between the professional care-giver and the person. Without knowing it, the care-giver may have crossed over into a taboo discussion area. Or the person may be stressed over having a religious rule violated. This book will be a great help to anyone who serves people of different faiths and cultures in times of crisis. Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Japanese faiths,and the Baha'i are some of the faiths covered with sensitivity and respect. Practical, useable information is passed on in a succinct, very readable style. For a little book, it packs a lot. Highly, highly recommended.