Cultural Assessment

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Culturally Appropriate Care Planning Health care providers are tasked with providing culturally sensitive patient care. This includes the obligation to perform a comprehensive cultural assessment when planning care for the patient. However, this is a challenging task for nurses with the various cultural dynamics of all the various ethnic groups in the United States. Nevertheless, the nurse will need to establish a rapport with the patient when trying to develop a cultural assessment of the patient (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to describe key components of a culturally comprehensive assessment for the Hispanic population. I will discuss two of these components, along with reflection, to show how my culture may impact…show more content…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) claims the care provider needs to know their own beliefs prior to conducting an assessment and suggest this be the first step when performing a culturally competent evaluation. Culture, ethnicity, and language along with many other characteristics are important considerations when assessing the patient. Andrews and Boyle (2016) provide a cultural assessment guide with twelve components which includes: variations of disease in a culture, communication, cultural affiliations, cultural sanction and restrictions, developmental considerations, economics, educational background, health-related practices, kinship and social networks, nutrition, religion and spirituality, values orientation. When assessing the Hispanic patient, understanding the perceptions they hold for health care will have a direct impact on how I plan care. There are many differences noted between my culture and that of the Hispanic patient. Culturally competent care can be provided when the nurse acknowledges the need to include culture in the plan of care and will ultimately show the patient a commitment to understanding their beliefs and needs as the care plan is formed (Giger, 2013). By applying the components provided by Andrews and Boyle (2016), one will have the ability to compile the answers provided to construct a mutually beneficial plan for the…show more content…
I chose communication because it is the very first place a care giver may encounter a problem. As part of my culture and upbringing, the only language I speak is English. Therefore, when I am caring for the Spanish speaking patient I will have a concern with communication. This can cause many problems when trying to develop a plan of care. My approach to this concern is to understand that the patient is feeling as frustrated and misunderstood as I may feel. I cannot allow myself to think that the patient is at fault for speaking a language which differs from mine. Instead, I must modify my approach and use interpretive devices along with being attentive to body language to assess for signs of anxiety which may indicate a lack of patient comprehension (Giger, 2013). If I extend the effort to communicate with the patient in a means comfortable to them, I can allay their fears and rest assured I provided effective communication. I chose health related beliefs and practices since as the nurse, I need to understand what the patient expects from care. My upbringing has molded my beliefs and actions with health care, with the same true for the Hispanic population. The Hispanic believes that they cannot influence health since there is a matter of luck involved in health. They tend to be non-compliant regarding food choices as a diabetic patient which may be due to culture and learned

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