Assess The Role Of Anthropology In Nursing

Health is defined a state of wellbeing which is equally viewed by many different cultures. However, the definition of wellbeing is seen differently among cultures, in relationship to their beliefs and values. (DeNisco & Barker, 2015). Cultural care in nursing is a very important part of nursing care, whether the nurse is a bedside RN or a practicing primary care NP. There are many theories in nursing related to cultural care. Most encompass the need for nurses to take into consideration the cultural caring behaviors and values of individuals and families to provide culturally competent nursing care.

The main ideas that Lisa Bourque Bearskin is stating in this article is that nurses need to be more sensitive to cultural care. They need to be aware of the issues in healthcare and strive to remove any barriers for certain groups, such as the first nations, and they need to disrupt any unequal relations in the social, political and historical aspect of healthcare. The way this can be done is by shifting their thoughts from cultural competence to cultural safety by way of relational ethics. Cultural competence is explained as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that nurses need to use to care for cultural differences. Another framework described cultural competence as going through the stages of cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural encounter, and cultural desire. Cultural competency works very well when making policies in an agency but this view fosters a view of culture that does not encourage nurses to ask questions. (Bearskin, 2011) Cultural Competence causes different cultures to be put in a box, which cannot be done because cultures are constantly changing and every person’s culture is different. Culture is individual. Lisa Bourque Bearskin goes on to say that cultural safety is what nurses should use for ethical practice. In cultural safety, a nurse must strive to improve health care and its access for all people, while recognizing that there are many different cultures that have a right to be recognized. Bourque

In order to deliver nursing care to different cultures, nurses are expected to understand and provide culturally competent health care to diverse individuals. Culturally competent care is tailored to the specific needs of each client, while incorporating the individual’s beliefs and values (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2006, p. 90). By being culturally competent, nurses are able to help improve health outcomes by using cultural knowledge and specific skills in selecting interventions that are specific to each client (Stanhope & Lancaster). Therefore, nurses “should perform a cultural assessment on every client with whom they interact with” (Stanhope &

Being aware of other cultures allows you to treat them equally. The correct values and attitudes will allow you as a nurse to present person centred care and to make sure that a service user is mentally, and socially well not just physically. Health and wellbeing is said to be physically, mentally and socially healthy not just the absence of an illness (WHO). Its important as healthcare professions to ensure that the correct behaviours, values and policies are adhered to in order to create an effective working system to make sure that all cultures treated equally for as it is their human right to equality and freedom of discrimination. According to Baile & Epner as a nurse the key to cultural competence is to present person centred care you have to show on respect, sensitivity, trust, honesty, intelligence, interest, and you have to be open-minded (Baile & Epner

Dr. Madeline Leininger has provided the basic foundation for cultural competency in nursing practice (Dayer-Berenson, 2010). She has created a model called the Sunrise Model. This model looks at culture care, diversity, and universality. The areas that she focused on are religious beliefs, social factors, cultural values and beliefs, and educational factors. She believed if the nurse knows information in these areas about the patient that better culturally competent care can be provided. Transcultural nursing models provide the nurse with the foundation to become knowledgeable about the various cultures seen in their practice setting

Cultural competence is the ability to effectively communicate with diverse groups of individuals to better care for them as well as interact. Cultural competence encompasses understanding your own bias towards another because of their different background, using respectful communication including body language, and the skill of conducting a cultural assessment while avoiding judgment. APRNs can become culturally competent by acquiring a set of attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge base to work effectively in cross-cultural situations (Purnell, 2013). Nursing is an ever-changing dynamic, adapting to its surrounding stimuli and shaped by societal norms, new discoveries, and sophisticated technology. So why is it important to incorporate cultural

Nurses need to be culturally competent to understand what different cultures believe about health and how they value health (Maurer & Smith, 2013). By being culturally competent, a nurse is able to use the appropriate communication (verbal and non-verbal) related to the person’s culture. The appropriate communication will led to improved outcomes. Knowing a patient’s culture can increase the nurse’s knowledge to medical conditions and disorders that are related to a certain culture. Overall, if nurses are able to understand their patient’s culture, they are able to protect and advocate for their

In nursing school, nurses are trained to value and understand individuals from many different cultures, maintaining the rights and dignity of each individual. In today’s society, nurses are responsible for interacting and caring for individuals from cultures of every kind. That being said, cultural competence in nursing is essential to providing quality care to patients. Cultural competence is “the ability to provide effective care for clients who come from different cultures”

It involves the self- examination of one’s own cultural and professional background. (Camponha-Bacote, 2002) Cultural awareness becomes essential in nursing and midwifery care when we interact with patients from other cultures. Most of us at some point have judged someone because of their different behaviour or lifestyle. When we consider that the values and customs of our own ethnic group are superior to values and customs of another ethic group, this is being ethnocentric.

The expectation that nurses today understand every culture and concept of health and healing associated within each cultural group is unrealistic. Fortunately, nurses still have the ability

When culturally competent nurses interact with other cultures, they observe how members of the culture communicate, watching for verbal and non-verbal cues. Eye contact is important to identify. For some cultures direct eye contact is not polite. Touch for some cultures is prohibited. If needed, nurses should explain the reason for touching the patient before proceeding. In some cultures males cannot be caregivers of females. Silence doesn’t always mean miscommunication or patient apathy. For some cultures is a positive non-verbal cue or a sign of respect or agreement. Space and distance is very important when providing care. Patients can place themselves close or far from the nurse based on their culture. Healthcare beliefs also vary from cultures. Some cultures are compliant with cares while others may not be very cooperative. Based on these observations, nurses can plan their plan of care based on the patient’s needs (Maier-Lorentz, 2008 Journal Of Cultural Diversity). Nurses also need to observe pain non-verbal cues, food preferences, family arrangements and general norms and interactions.

The practice of nursing today demands that the nurse identify and meet the cultural needs of diverse groups, understand the social and cultural reality of the client, family, and community, develop expertise to implement culturally acceptable strategies to provide nursing care, and identify and use resources acceptable to the client (Andrews & Boyle, 2002). A culturally competent care is an essential element of the 21st century for those who are responsible for providing health care in transcultural societies (Papadopoulos, 2006). Functioning successfully within different cultures can be a struggle for many professionals and, as the world changes, it's become clear that dealing with other cultures, both domestic and international, requires

Chapter two, “Doing Cultural Anthropology,” we learned about the term ethnocentrism, which means judging other cultures from your own point of view. This is the belief that your own culture is better and greater than others. As nurses, we have to keep our own opinions and preferences away from our patient’s beliefs and opinion. Even though we do not have to understand or approve of their traditions and culture, no judgments should be made while someone in under your care. Being open-minded is critical in nursing practice. For example, my patient is a Christian and do not believe abortions are acceptable. Even though she thinks this that does not mean I have to agree with her because her opinions regarding that issue

A. Cultural competence is important for both doctors and nurses. It is our task to assess and become familiar with the cultural dynamic of our patient’s family. For instance, Asian values v harmony in their family and avoid confrontations. Raising up voices and answering back to elderly is not tolerated in most in Asian household. With this culture, patient tends not to voice out their concerns or disagreement with the nurse or a doctor.

The final assumption is the fact that nursing care that is culturally beneficial can only be provided when the nurse providing the care has knowledge of cultural care expressions, patterns, and values (Kardong-Edgreen & Campinha-Bacote, 2008).