It therefore becomes apparent why it is imperative for professionals of all types to have an awareness, knowledge, and appreciation for others whose beliefs, practices, and values are different. This essay discusses how this awareness relates to the concept of cultural competency and the implications it has on the professional and healthcare industry. What is cultural competence? To be culturally competent the healthcare provider needs to understand his/her own worldviews and those of the patient, while avoiding stereotyping and misapplication of scientific knowledge. Cultural competence is obtaining cultural information and then applying that knowledge.
Opposing opinions often alter patients’ perception about health care and their ability to comprehend, govern, and handle the course of a sickness, diagnosis, and risk versus benefit of medical treatment. Cultural specific ideas are presented through patients and their families bring as well as values that directly correlate to their theories of health status, description of signs of illness, thoughts of how their personalized care will be conveyed, and beliefs about pharmaceutical and skilled interventions ("Euromed Info," n.d.). In addition, many patients are highly influenced due to cultural values taught and encouraged throughout their life span. In America, health maintenance is encouraged through healthy eating habits, exercise, routine exams, and decreasing risky behaviors. We provide health protection through immunizations, early diagnosis and treatment, and education.
Those without transportation are subjected to shopping at convenience and corner stores. Residents with better access to supermarkets and reliable transportation are less likely to develop obesity and more likely to have a healthy diet. But, where healthy food is more costly, sugars and fats are inexpensive and abundant. Families that are low-income try to stretch the dollar by buying cheap foods that are filling. These foods are of low quality, and have been the leading cause of obesity.
In my own experience as a psychiatric nurse I have in recent years become aware of the importance of an understanding of cultural diversity. Whenever one treats or deals with patients from different cultures, one has to take into account their cultural norms and predilections in the process of nursing. This also relates to the view that nursing should be a profession that is as open as possible to the feelings and views of the patient. This means to be effective the nurse must be aware of the way that people from different cultures perceive and respond to the healing process. "This trend towards an awareness of cultural diversity is evident in many fields, including nursing and healthcare.
Introduction Today’s society is a mix of cultures from every corner of the world. With these different cultures come different values, beliefs, religions, and worldviews. “A worldview is a conceptual framework of our view of the world, a belief system that guides individual behavior” (Nelson, 2011). In the healthcare industry, managing the care of diverse populations can be challenging if time is not taken to understand different perspectives and worldviews of others. An open and nonjudgmental mind is required to provide culturally sensitive and competent care.
Even though some countries are not lacking farm land or water to grow food, malnutrition occurs simply due to the lack of education on nutrition and healthy eating. Keep in mind that malnutrition is not only the lack of food, but it is also the lack of nutrients in unhealthy eating. Obesity is a growing problem even in developed countries. Only is it through education and awareness that we have hope in the future to help conquer malnutrition. How has Right to Play tackled malnutrition?
There are, in some cases, policies of the healthcare institutions and the nurse’s personal professional ethics that can conflict with the clinical settings’ decision making. With exception of individuals who are deeply involved in the medical profession, the concept of ethics in a clinical practice is not one that typically comes to mind. After all, the average person is likely to associate a clinical practice with medical needs, which likely implies there is a much more pressing dilemma at the forefront of their thought process. However, the same cannot be said for the multitudes of people who come together to create the
A nurse may personally feel that a patient who is dying of cancer should utilize any and all pain management options available to them, however, if the patient does not wish to use pain medications because he/she feels “out of it” or is afraid of becoming “addicted”, the nurse needs to respect that patient’s choice. One may personally feel that a patient should try all treatment options available when dealing with an illness such as cancer, but needs to be respectful if a patient does not wish to continue treatment or try something new even if the nurse feels that is the “right” thing to do. B. In the scenario presented, different strategies can be used in the Thomas’s situation to improve the quality of life for Mrs. Thomas and her husband during this illness. First of all, discussing with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas what their wants/needs are is imperative.
However, when speaking to a client, using jargon and medical terms can be considered as inappropriate and confusing for the people involved. When Patients come into a hospital, they are concerned with their health and they would want to know as much information as a nurse can give them. By using the correct language, and knowing how much information to divulge, a nurse can positively contribute to the care of their client. (Wright, Lorraine M.; Leahey, Maureen. 2009).
Food additives can affect food positively and negatively. Food additives have become more popular in foods because a large number of societies do not cultivate their own crops. Additives in food are growing in the world because of demanding life styles, no time for “homemade” meals, and just plain and simple laziness. Technology is also a key factor in the production of food additives. Although some people may be against the concept of a food additive, scientists do very thorough testing on each individual additive.