Provide response to the discussion posts below:
1.What is cultural competence in health care? Discuss the difference among the terms cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, cultural competence and cultural humility.
Cultural competence is essential in healthcare and must be embraced by clinicians. As Dreachslin, Gilbert, and Malone (2013) mentioned, cultural competence for healthcare professionals should consist of understanding the individuals’ cultural beliefs, how they interact with others, and their environment, including social, material, and spiritual aspects. The authors further mention how individuals’ personal beliefs contribute to their perspective of disease, health, and potential treatment (Dreachslin et al., 2013). Cultural competence allows healthcare professionals to understand the factors influencing the person to make certain decisions or whether they will accept medical treatment.
In terms of cultural awareness, it focuses on an individual recognizing the differences and similarities among various cultures and understanding that culture is critical to how those individuals interact and behave (Dreachslin et al., 2013). Cultural sensitivity focuses on an individual recognizing the cultural needs of a person and how their culture influences their decisions. Cultural humility is an ongoing process that allows individuals to reflect on their personal biases and assumptions about another culture (Dreachslin et al., 2013). I believe that recognizing these concepts is important in my practice to become more culturally competent.
Which of these concepts (in the former question) do you aspire to in your work within the health system?
I think that all four concepts are essential to apply in my practice, and I aspire to work on each concept to understand and appreciate the cultural differences of my patients. In my experience, living in Southern California has allowed me to encounter many individuals with very distinct cultures compared to my own. Over time, I have become more aware of differences and appreciate them. Also, I reflect on implicit biases that I have acquired and attempt to learn more about other cultures to provide the best care for my patients.
Think back to your most recent visit to a healthcare organization.
A. Who was the first person you encountered and what information did you need to give and receive from this person?
On the last visit to a healthcare organization, the first person that I encountered was a registered nurse. The information I provided to the nurse was my personal information to register me and the reason for my visit. The information that I received from her was to verify two patient identifiers and the steps that were to follow.
B. What difficulties might an LEP person have had at this point?
I think that an LEP person might have difficulty getting through the registration portion because they might not understand the questions asked. Perhaps the person might understand but have trouble expressing their needs to the healthcare professionals.
C. Now walk yourself through your entire visit, thinking about the same questions with respect to each person you interacted with during your visit.
Reflecting on my visit, the most interaction I had with some clinicians was to confirm my identity, like name and date of birth. I realized that one of the crucial moments of the visit was with the provider. The provider asked me more comprehensive questions about my visit, and I can imagine how challenging it is to explain the reason for the visit with limited proficiency in English. Indeed, I would request an interpreter to help me understand the questions and interpret the findings and treatment plan.
References
Dreachslin, J. L., Gilbert, M. J., & Malone, B. (2013). Diversity and cultural competence in health care: A systems approach (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2. Cultural competence can make a huge difference in the quality of care that is delivered in health care. Cultural competence is a strategy to work around the challenges that diversity and disparities present (Dreachslin et al., 2013). It is an attitude with its associated behavior and policies that help reduce disparities (Dreachslin et al., 2013). On the other hand, cultural awareness is acknowledging an important cultural issue without action (Dreachslin et al., 2013). Cultural sensitivity is respecting the needs of a person of a different culture (Dreachslin et al., 2013). Cultural humility allows us to partner up with our patients, while knowing the importance of life-long self-reflection (Dreachslin et al., 2013).
I aspire to understand and apply the concept of cultural competence in my work. As a nurse, when I speak to patients, I can remain aware of cultural difference and listen to my patients closely. Through this, I can pinpoint certain things that might help my patients receive the kind of care that they prefer. Additionally, as a nurse practitioner in the future, I can focus on the types of routines or beliefs my patients might have. I can talk to them about certain medications and folk remedies to improve their health. Ultimately, I would like to apply all of these concepts, especially cultural humility, because they would contribute to me being a considerate and better healthcare worker.
My most recent visit to a healthcare organization was the emergency department for my grandmother who was not feeling well. Initially, I had to speak to registration workers. I had to give them my grandmother’s information. Next, I had to speak to the nurse and tell her all about my grandmother’s symptoms, history and explain how everything was related. Being an LEP herself, if my grandmother was alone she would have a lot of difficulties. She definitely would not have been able to explain her symptoms in detail with a timeline and the associated history to get the appropriate treatment. Even later on throughout the visit, the nurse was unable to communicate about a urine sample when I left to go to the bathroom. My grandmother was nauseous and weak and could not urinate on the commode so the nurse wanted to perform an intermittent catheter. Someone with LEP would not be able to understand these procedures and the reasonings behind them as well. Thinking back on all the people we interacted with, from the person who drew her blood, to the radiologist, to the doctor, there were so many opportunities for miscommunication to occur with someone from a different culture.
References
Dreachslin, J. L., Gilbert, M. J., & Malone, B. (2013). Diversity and cultural competence in health care: A systems approach (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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