The patient is a sixty-seven-year-old Somali female, whom will be referred to as Jane. Jane initially presented to the emergency room with shortness of breath, fever, tachycardia, and a persistent cough. She has a history of tachycardia and asthma. The goal for the treatment of this patient was to rule out avian flu, and to manage her tachycardia and asthma. This paper will serve as a guide for providing culturally relevant care for a Somali patient. This includes, history of the group in the United States and common health problems. This investigation will also include common beliefs, values, nutritional considerations, and common communication patterns.
Brief History of the Affiliated Group in the United States Somali immigrants first
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They strongly adhere to the laws and teachings of Islam, and because they are a more recently arrived population, Somalis preserve many of their traditional social and cultural norms (CultureVision, 2016f). Their belief in Islam means that Allah is the ultimate decision maker. Muslims often view illness as atonement for sins, and cope with illness using patience and prayer. Despite their beliefs, they are encouraged to seek treatment for illnesses, but typically only will for acute illnesses (Culture Vision, 2016a). Other important beliefs include modesty, especially for females, preference for the right hand because the left hand is seen as unclean, and allowing time for uninterrupted daily prayer. Cleanliness should always be a priority (CultureVision, 2016h). When providing care to a Somali patient it is important to match the gender of the patient with gender of the caregiver whenever possible. In this case, the patient would be receiving care from female healthcare providers. If available, gowns should cover the patient to the ankles and to the wrist, and unnecessary exposure of the body and physical contact should be minimized. Before body parts are uncovered the patient should be asked and given the opportunity to move the garment themselves. Additionally, the head and hair of the patient should remain untouched unless it is required for examination. When feeding the patient or administering medications the right hand should be used (CultureVision,
The EKG Technician is the person responsible for performing diagnostic tests to access the heart rhythm and rate in patients. EKG technician is an integral part of the management of patients with heart disease. The EKG Technician may also clean equipment, maintain and process data reports. The course will prepare students with the theory, academics and clinical education necessary to function as an entry level EKG technician. This course may be taken as a module toward completion of the PCT program, or it may be taken independently as an individual skills course. The course structure will consist of introduction to EKG, applied EKG and clinical EKG.
An dysrhythmia of the heart is an irregular heartbeat rhythm. Ventricular tachycardia is an dysrhythmia in which the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, beat unusually fast.
One of the most apparent cultural differences is one’s biological variations. This refers to growth patterns, physical characteristics, disease prevalence, and resistance to disease. In health care there is a baseline for cultural and ethnic groups, however, it is important to view everyone as an individual. Culturally appropriate care is an ever changing process. Nurses should always be sensitive to their patients and remember that if nothing else they need to treat them with respect (Davidhizar, Giger, pg. 121).
During clinical time in the nursing program there are many opportunities for students to explore their new found nursing skills. While engaging in patient care responsibilities there are many languages, customs, values, lifestyles, beliefs, and behaviors that will differ from their own. Each patient may need healthcare providers to consider certain aspects in order to provide culturally competent care. There are many cultures that have migrated to the United States over the years including the people of Haiti. There are many aspects of their healthcare ideals that may need to be considered while providing healthcare in the hospital setting. This cultural assessment will consider the healthcare matters of an 81-year-old woman on the
The Somali population has seen a significant rise in the number of individuals that are now living in central Minnesota. Most of the Somali population is of the Islamic faith. I would like to explain some of the differences in the Islamic
In today’s society, it is very important for the healthcare professional to be educated about the culture of their patients. It can be seen that the number of patients who are Muslim are increasing throughout the healthcare system. It is challenging for healthcare workers to care for the needs of Muslim patients when they don’t understand their cultural beliefs. Muslims don’t necessarily have the same health beliefs, outcomes, or priorities that their providers have, therefore making it more difficult to come to a final healthcare decision (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) “This intercultural gap in understanding between clients and providers may result in poor care services and low levels of satisfaction” (Al-Oraibi, 2009.) Muslims are
Cardiac catheterization is often referred to as coronary angiography or a coronary angiogram. It is a radiographic procedure that is used to look at and visualize the heart and the coronary arteries. During a cardiac catheterization it is possible for the cardiologist performing the procedure to see how effectively blood is flowing through the coronary arteries. In addition, this procedure allows the cardiologists to see how blood is moving through the chambers of the heart and how effective the heart valves are functioning. A cardiac catheterization can also allow for the visualization of the movement of the walls of the heart to see if the pumping action of the heart is normal.
During inspection of the heart assessment observe abnormal finding. Inspect the jugular vein and the carotid artery. Note pallor or cyanotic skin color, temperature, turgor, texture, and clubbing of finger. Observe for swelling, edema and ulceration. Clubbing is a sign of chronic hypoxia caused by a lengthy cardiovascular or respiratory. Poor cardiac output and tissue perfusion is noted by cyanosis and pallor. For dark-skinned, inspect his mucous membranes for pallor. Decreases or absent of pulse with cool, pale, and shiny skin, and hair loss to the area, and the patient may have pain in the legs and feet may indicate arterial insufficiency. Ulcerations typically occur in the area around the toes, and the foot usually turns deep red when dependent
Cardiac dysrhythmias come in different degrees of severity. There are heart conditions that you are able to live with and manage on a daily basis and those that require immediate attention. Atrial Fibrillation is one of the more frequently seen types of dysrhythmias (NIH, 2011). The best way to diagnosis a heart condition is by reading a cardiac strip (Ignatavicius &Workman, 2013). Cardiac strips play an chief part in the nursing world allowing the nurse and other trained medical professionals to interpret what the heart is doing. In a normal strip, one can clearly identify a P wave before every QRS complex, which is then followed by a T wave; in Atrial Fibrillation, the Sinoatrial node fires irregularly causing there to be no clear P
The heart is one of the most important organs in an organism’s body, no matter if they are aquatic, amphibian, or a mammal. This super organ works automatically, able to pump massive amounts of oxygen rich blood through the body by means of electrical impulses and the opening and closing of valves within its many layers. It is what keeps us and every other creature on this earth alive; so it is only natural for one to fear when there might be a problem with one’s heart. A cardiac arrhythmia can happen to anyone, no matter the age, race, or gender, and as such, doctors and scientist have spent years trying to better understand the heart and the way it functions so that they can try to prevent these problems and save millions of lives.
“Health is influenced by culture and beliefs” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). In order for the nurse to properly care for the patient, she must know and understand the patient’s culture. “Cultural care is a comprehensive model that includes the assessment of a client’s cultural needs, beliefs, and health care practices” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). It is not enough to just know where the patient lives or where he came from. The nurse must embrace the concept of cultural competence and cultural awareness. This requires not only the awareness of the cultural beliefs and values of their patients, but also
The United States population has been described as a “melting pot” and continues to increase in diversity. A patient’s culture has a significant influence on how their health care should be provided. It is vital for nurses as health care providers to be culturally competent and knowledgeable of the patient’s culture to deliver appropriate, holistic care (Potter & Perry, 2011). This paper will discuss the Arab culture and focus mainly on what to do and not to do as a nurse rendering care to an Arab patient.
Health in all cultures is an important aspect of life. A person’s cultural background, religion and/or beliefs, greatly influences a person’s health and their response to medical care (Spector, 2004). These diverse cultures guide decisions made in daily life; what food eaten, living arrangements made, medications taken and medical advice listened to. A nurse must be knowledgeable and respectful of these diverse cultures and understand their importance when providing care. This understanding helps to build a strong nurse/patient relationship, increasing patient compliance, which ensures positive outcomes are met. Patients who are satisfied
Some general beliefs and practices regarding healthcare in Muslims include: abortion is not advised except to save the mother's life or in very limited circumstances; it is customary that an elder says an Islamic prayer call in an infant's right ear shortly after birth; circumcision of male infants is recommended and is universally practiced; blood transfusions are allowed; organ transplantation, both donating and receiving, is allowed with some restrictions (donor material of porcine origin); Islam does not prohibit Muslim physicians from caring for AIDS patients, homosexual patients, or those with other sexually transmitted diseases; assisted suicide and euthanasia are not permitted; maintaining a terminal patient on artificial life support for a prolonged period in a vegetative state is not encouraged.
A second culture that a medical professional should be aware of is the Vietnamese, handshakes are appropriate between men not women (Culture Clues, 2001). They also believe that the head is the most sacred part of the body, so avoid touching it unless necessary. To show respect to the patient someone would avoid direct eye contact and bow the head because it shows that the individual is not being disrespected (Giger and Davidhizas, 2008). The patient’s norms are always something to remember so the beliefs are not offended. By having awareness on beliefs it will also help to get a grasp on what the religion traditions in healing.