Cultural Considerations in Health Care
Introduction One of the greatest things about nursing is that we have the opportunity to share with different cultures and learn about them. Our patients are complex; they each have their religion, culture, and life choices. Delivering health advice and not knowing much about a patient’s cultural background will influence how the patient may perceive the nurses’ advice.
The article that I did my research on was published in 2011, by Perez-Avila, Sobralske and Katz; the name of the article is “No Comprendo: Practice Considerations When Caring for Latinos With Limited English Proficiency in the United States Health Care System”. In the United States, Hipics form the largest minority. Most of this community has limited English proficiency; the purpose of this article is to teach us how Hipics feel when catered to by English only speaking healthcare staff.
Summary of the Article The article in my opinion was well written, it provides detailed information in reference to limited English proficient citizens in the United States. An example of how detailed the study is “One study revealed that only 37% of patients with LEP know it is their legal right to have health services offered in their language by a bilingual provider or through the use of professional interpretation services” (Katz & Pares-Avila, 2011, pg. 160).
The author could have done a better job by providing more cultural information in reference to Hipics; their believes and medical practices. Hipic families believe that the father of the family is the boss; however the spouse takes care of the children. I must add that this is changing as women are becoming more functional in the work force and as professionals. The article focuses on how due to the lack of communication and cultural competence, a certain percentage of Hipics do not benefit from the best possible care.
In fact, the article states that Hipics have more unnecessary tests done to them due to the lack of communication with health care providers. Many health care professionals decide to document that the patient’s medical history is not available, rather than finding an interpreter to assist them. The article does a nice job describing how this lack of cultural knowledge impacts the Hipic culture. I chose this article because I find it interesting and of great help to any nursing and health care professional; I am Hipic myself and constantly looking for better ways to help my community.
I personally see my grandmother struggling whenever she needs to see her physician, as she sometimes does not understand what him and his staff are telling her. On another note nursing is an ever changing career and the Hipic culture is growing at an enormous rate, becoming culturally competent does not only provide the patient with good care but can make the nurses’ job easier and more rewarding. I do feel that there should be more research on this subject; the best way to learn about a patient’s cultural beliefs is to ask the patient.
I think that the population that the author intended to target is health care professionals; however, I know that any immigrant can benefit from reading this article. Conclusion Culture competence is a quality that any nurse should have. The article that I decided to research refers to the impact that language and different cultures have on a patient’s health. It is the duty of health care professionals to attempt to learn about different cultures and to be sensitive to the way patient’s feel about their beliefs.
Once the nurse understands a patient’s beliefs, the plan of care can be adjusted to meet the patient’s individual needs. Reference Pares-Avila, J. A. , Sobralske, M. C. , & Katz, J. R. (2011). No Comprendo: Practice Considerations When Caring for Latinos With Limited English Proficiency in the United States Health Care System. Hipic Health Care International, 9(4), 159-167. doi:http://dx. doi. org/10. 1891/1540-4153. 9. 4. 159
