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Cultural Beliefs In End Of Life Care

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Cultural Beliefs In End Of Life Care
Culture and spiritual belief influence end of life care in three different aspects. It affects the communication strategy that the medical professional will use in interacting with the patient or the patients family. Cultural beliefs determine the person or people that will be responsible for making the decisions. Third, religious and cultural beliefs influence the attitudes of the patient and their families towards advance care directives (Searight and Gafford, 2005). Delivering culturally sensitive end of life care requires that the medical practitioner understand how the individual patient's attitudes towards end of life care may differ. It is possible to adopt strategies that cater to the needs of the patient without causing undue anguish due to an unintentional violation of the cultural beliefs of the person during the healthcare delivery process.
The tool used in the assessment
…show more content…
The assessment tool identifies the various types of information that a practitioner should be aware of about the patient before providing end of life care. It is essential to understand the prevalence of the diseases within the cultural group. The practitioner should know the cultural rules that govern communication with the patient. The tool also requires that the cultural group to which the patient identifies should also be determined. The approach further considers developmental issues that are influenced by the culture of the person. The economic position of the patient is recognized by the tool to be an influence on the interactions between the patient and the healthcare system. Educational background and health beliefs held will impact on the patient’s decision-making process. The nature of familial connections could be a factor in determining the person that will make the end of life decisions relating to the patient (Andrews and Boyle,

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