Doing God's Business as Medi-Kel Clinic

Doing God’s Business

Medi-Kel Family Practice

Walk In Clinic

Principles

Reflective Faith Work Integration

A Paper by Mike McLoughlin

Youth With A Mission, Marketplace Mission

A Ministry of YWAM (BC) Society.

June, 2001

Check out the Actual Business Web Site

www.medi-kel.com

Introduction

In January of this year my wife, Dr. R. Sue McLoughlin, was on a walk in Kelowna when she came to a mall located in Kelowna. She noticed an empty space in this mall and thought to herself it would be a good location for a medical clinic. She mentioned this idea to me. As a business consultant. I set about investigating the possibility of leasing the space for a medical clinic. To make a long story short, the space was leased and construction began in early August, 2001 for Medi-Kel Family Practice and Walk In clinic.

The Hand of God in Starting a Business

Throughout the past nine months it has been evident that God is involved in the launch of this clinic. At several points in the process, when hurdles seemed insurmountable, an intervention occurred that cleared the way for the clinic to proceed. In one instance, the negotiations with the Landlord for lease of the space had reached an impasse. The timely phone call by a real estate agent suggested a solution to the impasse.

Also, people and opportunities presented themselves that were not arranged or orchestrated by the parties. In one particular situation, an office manger was recommended, who had five years of experience and who was unemployed and available to start early to help in the development of the clinic. It turned out that the person was the daughter of a family the McLoughlin’s had known from church! It seemed a divine appointment.

In another instance, the principals were able to secure the services of a professional who was himself a Shopping Centre owner. He was able to communicate with the Landlord during the negotiations and secured very favorable terms the lease, something that the original listing agent would never have accomplished.

Finally, Dr. McLoughlin had a dream in March in which someone told her that it was going to be a difficult year for her but at the end of it she would have a baby. She did not understand the significance of the dream until later. In early July, her present partner in medical practice was involved in a serious traffic accident that broke his neck. He did not injure his spinal cord and he will make a full recovery . However, it has placed an extra strain on Dr. McLoughlin. Upon reflection, it occurred to her that this dream had predicted her circumstances and that perhaps the “baby” was the medical clinic. This understanding provided significant assurance, comfort and encouragement that God was overseeing the process towards the new clinic. It helped relieve the anxiety about whether or not she had made the right decision to launch the clinic.

God’s Interest in a Medical Clinic

Given these seemingly divine interventions; it would be important to consider how God would be involved in the practice of medicine at the clinic both on a personal level and on a patient care and practice management level. Integration of faith and work is difficult in most work contexts and professional medicine is no different. There are a number of issues that present themselves as a part of this consideration.

The Case Against Faith Work Integration

Firstly, medical practice is a secular profession. Although the original meaning of both the word “professional”[1] and the word “secular”[2] can be traced to religious sources, in today’s marketplace professionals are generally expected to “check their faith at the door” when conducting their business. Secondly, the physician patient relationship is asymmetrical in that the power rests with the Physician and the patient is generally expected to follow “Doctor’s orders!” Thus, Physicians who do not “check their faith at the door” are open to the charge of unethical conduct by imposing their faith on the patient as a form of religious coercion. Thirdly, there are boundaries that physicians must respect even though they may think that a certain course of action will bring about improved health. For example, the married state is normally associated with good health; however, it would not be appropriate for a physician to proscribe marriage to a single person. This would cross a personal and private boundary. Likewise, proscribing faith to patients is inappropriate. Fourthly, associating faith with better health outcomes implies the converse, that the absence of faith is unhealthy. This plays into the thinking of some patients that sickness is a form of judgment for moral failure as some fundamentalist preachers have stated that AIDS is moral punishment for the homosexual lifestyle. Thus such an association may actually weigh patients down with guilt and harm their progress towards health. Fifthly, physicians who propose faith as adjunctive medical treatment based upon a patients response to a spiritual assessment create two classes of patients: those who accept the counsel of spiritual treatment and those who do not accept it. The second class would then to be considered by the physician as less worthy of consideration because they had chosen “not to repent”. Sixthly, physicians who hold faith convictions that are in conflict with certain treatment choices, such a therapeutic abortion, risk violating professional standards by not providing all patient care options thereby violating patient autonomy. Finally, physicians who discuss non medical subjects like spirituality with patients or actually pray with their patients without empirical and clinical evidence demonstrating a health benefit of such activity are open to the charge of quackery and professional misconduct!

As Dr. Richard Sloan, an writer for the Medical Journal Lancet, stated in his concluding remarks to the 22^nd annual meeting of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in San Antonio.

“So for a variety of ethical reasons, it seems clear to me, regardless of what the empirical evidence is, that bringing religion into medicine not only makes no sense, it's simply wrong to do, even if there were solid evidence--which, of course, there isn't.”

Thus it seems that the case against God and medicine is pretty strong. Perhaps physicians should keep their faith for private and personal use to help them cope with the stress of work pressure, the temptations of an affluent lifestyle and tensions resulting from time away from family and friends. Sadly, too many physicians succumb to the notion of a private faith separate from their public responsibility as care givers.

The Case for Faith Work Integration

The problem is that Dr. Sloan[3] and most physicians who “check their faith at the door” neglect to ask the one person who this discussion is most relevant for -- the patient. Studies have shown that most patients welcome a discussion with their physician about spiritual matters.[4] In one study it was clearly shown that “religious beliefs and practices are one method patients use to modulate distress during illness.” [5]

Dr. Harold Koenig of the Centre for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health has found

“In some areas of the United States, up to 90 percent of patients rely on religion for comfort or strength during times of serious illness. Religious coping behaviors include prayer, inspirational reading, participating in worship services and seeking support from clergy or congregation members.”[6]

He reviewed over 1200 studies of religion and health and reported that at least two thirds of these studies show significant associations between religious activity and better mental, physical and emotional health. [7]

At a recent conference on Family Practice, Dana King, M.D., associate professor in the family medicine department at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., was quoted as saying, “it wasn't necessary to prove the existence of a higher power in order to prove that spiritual beliefs influence health. ‘What we're proving is there's something that's important to patients,’ he said. ‘It relates to how they interpret the meaning of illness in their lives, it relates to how they cope with illness and stress, and it actually relates to health outcomes because of the importance of that outlook and context in regard to how their neurology and physiology respond.’” [8]

Koenig goes on to say,

Taking a religious or spiritual history may have far-reaching effects on the patient's ability to cope with illness as well as on the physician-patient relationship, affecting compliance and possibly future effectiveness of medical interventions. Even in this managed-care era of shorter and shorter patient visits, taking two to five minutes to inquire about and listen to patients talk about this area of their lives may actually save time in the long run. "Cure sometimes; relieve often; comfort always," is really what it is all about, and taking a spiritual history may be one way to do it more effectively.”[9]

Clearly, it is important to the proper care of patients for Family Practitioners to be sensitive to their spiritual concerns. The most important thing; however; is not whether they do it, but how they do it. Thus there needs to be understanding of the proper, ethical and clinical approaches to spiritual assessment and counsel that respect patient autonomy, practice sensitivity, are accepting of different views, and empathetic.

The Practice of Faith Work Integration at a Medical Clinic

With these thoughts in mind, I am recommending to the Doctors at Medi-Kel Family Practice and Walk In clinic that they raise the issue in the context of over all concern for the social well being of the patient. A question such as “What gives you hope, meaning, comfort and strength during a medical illness?” can be asked during a complete medical examination. A follow up question can be "Are there aspects of your religion or spirituality you would like me to keep in mind as I care for you?"

The first question will raises the issue in a discreet manner and the second keeps the issue patient centered respecting their boundaries but allowing them the opportunity to share privately their level of faith. From these two questions, Physicians can offer considerate care for the spirit as well as body and mind. They can empower a patient by offering a referral to a resource person who can provide spiritual help. Finally, if they feel it is appropriate they can pray for the patient at the right moment as a means of showing compassionate care.

Conclusion

In 1910, Sir William Osler, the great Canadian physician wrote in the first editorial published in the British Medical Journal about "the faith that heals," stating that "Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith . . . the one great moving force which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the crucible--mysterious, indefinable, known only by its effects, faith pours out an unfailing stream of energy while abating neither jot nor tittle of its potence."[10]

Spirituality and medicine are not separate compartments of a physicians medical practice.

“Spirituality, in a broader context, is about the mystery of our existence, the meaning of our lives and the love and connection we feel toward self, others, nature and the transcendent. Spirituality in medicine is more about the genuine compassion, presence and the helping hand we offer our patients than the specific questions we choose to ask.”[11]

Just as the focus of concern is on the health of a patient so an integrated approach for caring for the whole person, body, mind and spirit is important for successful medical practice. The mission statement for Medi-Kel is “Medi-Kel is a family Practice and Walk In Medical Clinic dedicated to serve the community with excellent, timely and compassionate patient care empowering people to wellness in body, mind and spirit.”

“As family physicians begin the process of integrating spirituality into medical practice, it is important to keep in mind the advice to "do no harm" and to maintain the utmost respect for the patient's rights to autonomy and freedom of thought and belief. If done responsibly, the practice of medicine may be the best arena for integrating science and spirituality.”[12]

The integration of science and spirituality is a worthy goal. As Christian Physicians and staff at Medi-Kel go about their day to day business they will show the love of Christ to everyone who enters that clinic. This is the true goal, that God would be glorified in the integration of faith and work.

Bibliography:

Banks, Robert J. (Editor); Stevens, R. Paul (Editor): The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity: An A-to-Z Guide to Following Christ in Every Aspect of Life CD ROM version. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997.

Stevens, R. Paul. The Other Six Days. Vocation, Work and Ministry in Biblical Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999.