Cultural Diversity
Susan Kennedy
Grand Canyon University
Nursing 502
September 22, 2010
>
Cultural diversity is a concept that is of increasing importance in the delivery of quality health care. It is this cultural awareness that allows healthcare professionals to see the entire picture of the patient and thus improves quality of care and healthcare outcomes The cultural values of specific ethnic groups have a direct influence on how they perceive healthcare, how and when they seek healthcare and how they respond to healthcare providers. There are three aspects of culturally competent care. The first is cultural autonomy which stresses the importance of folkways, customs and beliefs and retains the identity of a culture. The second is acculturation which is an acceptance of customs different from primary society and adapting to the rules of a new culture. The third is cultural imposition which imposes the ways of one culture onto another (Barker, 2009). The Hispanic population has exceeded that of African Americans and is now the largest minority group in the United States according to the 2000 census (Barker, 2009). This creates not only language barriers but differences in cultural beliefs can create further communication barriers if the healthcare professional is not culturally competent. The purpose of this paper is to show the cultural beliefs and values of the Hispanic population and the implications for healthcare providers. Nursing assessment and discharge planning can only be effective if cultural values are incorporated into the care. Through the acknowledgement of these beliefs in our care we can improve the health outcomes of this community. Summary of Article The article The Hispanic Family and Male –Female Relationships: An Overview, Galanti focuses on traditional Hispanic family relationships their implications for health care providers. Recognizing the different degrees of acculturation, Galati focuses
Grand Canyon University
Nursing 502
September 22, 2010
>
Cultural diversity is a concept that is of increasing importance in the delivery of quality health care. It is this cultural awareness that allows healthcare professionals to see the entire picture of the patient and thus improves quality of care and healthcare outcomes The cultural values of specific ethnic groups have a direct influence on how they perceive healthcare, how and when they seek healthcare and how they respond to healthcare providers. There are three aspects of culturally competent care. The first is cultural autonomy which stresses the importance of folkways, customs and beliefs and retains the identity of a culture. The second is acculturation which is an acceptance of customs different from primary society and adapting to the rules of a new culture. The third is cultural imposition which imposes the ways of one culture onto another (Barker, 2009). The Hispanic population has exceeded that of African Americans and is now the largest minority group in the United States according to the 2000 census (Barker, 2009). This creates not only language barriers but differences in cultural beliefs can create further communication barriers if the healthcare professional is not culturally competent. The purpose of this paper is to show the cultural beliefs and values of the Hispanic population and the implications for healthcare providers. Nursing assessment and discharge planning can only be effective if cultural values are incorporated into the care. Through the acknowledgement of these beliefs in our care we can improve the health outcomes of this community. Summary of Article The article The Hispanic Family and Male –Female Relationships: An Overview, Galanti focuses on traditional Hispanic family relationships their implications for health care providers. Recognizing the different degrees of acculturation, Galati focuses
References: Barker, Anne (2009). Advanced practice nursing: essentials for knowledge. (2nd ed.). Boston. Jones and Bartlett. ISBN-13 978-0-7637-4899-9 Galanti, Geri-Ann. (2003) The Hispanic family and male-female relationships: An overview. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 14: 180-185. Doi:10:1177/10436596014003004