Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Multicultural Aspects
Multicultural Aspects
Cultural Differences
If predictions prove true, it will be the first time in U.S. history that minority subgroups will become the majority of the total population. If the present demographic trends continue, when this historical milestone is reached, the racial and ethnic composition of this country will be 23.4% Hispanics, 14.7% blacks, 12% Asians and others. As of the year 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the current composition of the U.S. population was 71.3% whites 12.2% blacks, 11.2% Hispanics, 3.8% Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 0.7% American Indians.
To keep pace with a society that is increasingly more culturally diverse, nurses will need to have sound knowledge of the cultural values and beliefs of specific ethnic groups as well as be aware of individual practices and preferences.
In the past, healthcare providers have experienced difficulties in caring for clients whose cultural beliefs differ from their own, because beliefs about health and illness vary considerably among cultural groups.
Lack of cultural sensitivity by healthcare professionals has resulted in millions of dollars wasted annually through misuse of heathcare services, the alienation of large numbers of people, and the misdiagnosis of health problems with often tragic and dangerous consequences.
In addition, certain underrepresented groups are beginning to demand culturally relevant health care that respects their cultural rights and incorporates their specific beliefs and practices into the delivery of care.
This expectation is in direct conflict with the unicultural, Western, biomedical paradigm taught in many nursing and other healthcare provider programs across the country. Andrews (1992) suggested that a serious conceptual problem exists within the nursing profession because nurses are presumed to understand and be able to meet the healthcare needs of a culturally diverse population, even though they do not have the formal educational preparation to do so.
Definition of Terms
Acculturation: A willingness to modify ones own culture as a result of contact with another culture
Assimilation: The willingness of a person emigrating to a new culture to gradually adopt and incorporate characteristics of the prevailing culture
Cultural assessment: A systematic appraisal of beliefs, values, and practices conducted in order to determine the context of client needs and to tailor nursing interventions
Cultural Competence: A conscious process of demonstrating knowledge and understanding of a clients culture
Cultural diversity: representing a variety of different cultures Cultural relativism: implies that the values every human group assigns to its conventions arise out of its own historical background and can be understood only in the light of that background Culture: A complex concept that is the integral part of each persons life
Ethnicity: refers to how members of a group perceive themselves and how, in turn, they are perceived by others Ethnocentrism: describes the universal tendency of human beings to think that their ways are the only right and proper Transcultural nursing: a formal study and practice focused on a comparative analysis of different cultures and subcultures
5. Determine the notion of time. 6. Be aware of cues for interaction. Use of Translators In teaching clients who are only partially fluent in English, the following strategies, adapted from Tripp-Reimer and Afifi and Poss & Rangel, are recommended to help the nurse alter the style of interaction when no translator is used: 1. speak slowly and distinctly, allowing for twice as much time as a typical teaching session would take. 2. use simple sentence structures, relying on a direct subject-verb pattern and an active rather than passive voice
3 themes regarding Black Americans belief system: 1. The world is a hostile & dangerous place to live 2. The individual is vulnerable to attack from external f forces 3. The individual is considered helpless w/ few internal resources to combat adversity
Asian/Pacific Islander
this cultural group -language barrier wide variety of cultural, religious & language background -common values: male authority & dominance, saving face, strong family ties, respect for parents, elders, teachers, & other authority figures
-practices witchcraft -family and tribe is of utmost importance -talking is unnecessary, but simply being there is highly impt -kinship system -children are given a great deal of freedom & independence to learn by their decisions & live by the consequences of their actions -not very future oriented -tend not to live by clocks & schedules -belief that death is just a part of the life cycle