Male Dominant Cultural Barriers

Throughout this paper I will be referencing the Giger and Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model. Communication, space, social organizations, time, environmental control, and biological variations are the six cultural dimensions of the model. Acknowledging the pertinence and utilizing the principles of a tool such as this is important when performing an assessment on your patient because of the significant effect culture has on the patient themselves and the health care plan. To quote the ANA Code of Ethics, it is our duty as nurses to, “practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual.” (American Nurses Association, 2015)

Unfortunately, the world we live is a far cry from perfect. We have all types of barriers and roadblocks that we must face and attempt to overcome on a daily basis. When dealing with healthcare, these barriers and roadblocks can be much scarier – and in some cases even deadly. These barriers are not limited to only language, but also to differences in cultures as well.

There has been much study into how culture can impact the quality of health care, but not enough education on what can specifically be changed or how to change it. In The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down, a comprehensive example is presented using the implications of culture on the healthcare of a little girl named Lia Lee. Through evaluation, I have identified five major areas and examples of each that exemplify the clash of cultures presented in this book: Environmental Controls, Social Organization, Communication, Space, and

“It felt as if there was this layer of Saran Wrap or something between us….So we couldn’t really accomplish what we were trying to do, which was to take care of Lia” (47-48). The cultural barrier between Lia Lee’s parents and the medical staff at Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) was recognized equally by both parties throughout the many interactions they had. From Lia’s birth to her final release from MCMC a recurring theme has been reproduction, specifically its difference between Hmong and American traditions. The several occurrences between pregnant Hmong women and the medical staff at MCMC are demonstrative of the language and custom barriers between the two cultural groups. Standards of parental care are also different within the two cultures and both Hmong and American standards affected Lia’s health. Emotions and understandings towards children born or obtaining disability had both parties treat Lia differently throughout her varying stages of being medically treated. The different cultures pertaining specifically to reproduction are main factors that shaped Lia’s overall medical treatment through miscommunication, varying standards of parenthood, and viewpoints towards disability.

Being culturally competent and delivering culturally sensitive care is imperative for anyone in the medical profession. It is important because of the many diversities faced every day in the health care field. However, simply understanding the fact that there are so many health disparities is not enough. In order to reach out and effectively care for patients of different backgrounds and cultures one must understand the importance of cultural competency. In order to be culturally competent, a nurse must have knowledge of the different cultures, and

The case study of Lia Lee is interesting and serves as a cautionary tale as it explores the consequences of cultural misunderstanding. In this case both the parents and medical staff sought the same thing; they both wanted Lia to have a positive outcome. Unfortunately, both groups had distinct ideas regarding how to achieve the common objective. This division was rooted in each sides individual cultural beliefs.

Interacting with patients of diverse backgrounds and origins requires physicians to be highly culturally aware so as to create a trust between themselves and their patients. There are many aspects of a patient’s life that may manifest into their overall health, such as the social determinants of health. Culture may play a vital role in a person’s social outlook on life, and understanding cultural disparities is essential in delivering the highest level of patient care. Being culturally unaware hinders a physician from being able to treat patients from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, being culturally competent as well as having the skills to deal with cultural disparities effectively equips a physician to be able to travel anywhere in the world and deliver patient care as well as deliver patient care to a larger population within their own

Through her research, Leininger established an outline to further explain the importance of culturally competent care and the challenges presented throughout societies and healthcare institutions. The most obvious need for cultural sensitivity is the ongoing immigration throughout the world. As more people from different parts of the world enter into one area, different cultures will be present. The people that migrate to a new region or country will have the expectation that respect will be shown for their beliefs, particularly in the healthcare setting. This includes the use of technological advances in medicine. Some cultures may not understand or trust the delivery of care that is based on new technology (Andrews & Boyle, 2016).

Although the security of Australia is grateful, the social inclusion was disregarded. (In text) described the lack of interpreting services in Australian hospitals and an absence of personal and communal care impacted on their experiences giving birth. Frequently, normal births became confusing or difficult for the midwife to manage, and with a language barrier it can become exacerbated due to stress of the women. (In text) have researched in responses from the women’s culture can vary from healthcare to healthcare professionals, with younger women displaying preparedness to report and identify discrimination. They believe the problems lie within the health care, coupled with the inability of women who require attention, not within the healthcare system itself, but more likely individual social attitudes which are the women’s rights to be treated (in text). Stress, depression, hopelessness and feelings of hostility can play a part from the language barriers. Without understanding each other the midwife and women would not achieve a good professional relationship. Without the rapport, labour and birth is compromised by the frustrations on the midwife and women due to the language barrier. This compromised by the lack of verbal

Every time this healthcare provider has to interact with the patient they ignore the wife or ask them to step out. They do not do that to their other hetero patients and they might not even notice the way they are acting. A part of patient care is making sure your patient has a good support system. If that support system is gone as a result of your bias, then you are not doing your job. ” An example of how health care providers must take into consideration culture when giving care to patients is evident in the diverse social meaning given to human biological material (HMB), especially to the placenta.

Culture Vision is an online resource that provides healthcare professionals with essential information about all ethnicities. As a healthcare professional, it is a priority for all patients to receive essential care no matter their ethnicity. Culture Vision can help drive that care that may be a different due to their culture and beliefs. In this paper, I am going to explore the family and social issues of American Indian’s that Culture Vision points out, as well as a peer-reviewed article that focuses on the family and social issues with infants.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioners will care for patients from a multitude of diverse cultures. This care requires an in-depth cultural understanding. Knowledge of cultures and learned skills are vital to provide effective quality care. The ever-changing demographics and disparities in health care present as challenging. Providing cultural competent care is the essential core in today’s vast populations in the United States. Lack of culturally knowledgeable care impacts care outcomes.

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 provision of culturally appropriate care involves meeting the expectations of diverse groups of clients by identifying, respecting and promoting their individual cultural characteristics and practices. (Grewal:291) In the context of maternal health care, cultural safety has significant implications for health care accessibility for immigrant women, whose identities represent myriad cultures.

Disparities between populations can be seen all over the healthcare system. Specifically, there exists a disparity between the genders that can lead to increased mortality rates. This disparity can lead to a slower diagnosis of a woman’s illness when compared to a man, which means delayed treatment which also means unnecessary suffering (Rassin, 2009). The disparity has a consequence of women being less inclined to stick to a treatment plan because of the social stigma and expectations placed on them that do not concern men (Rassin, 2009). This disparity is then understood to make the treatments and diagnoses of females much harder than their male counterparts. Women