African American Care

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Received an assignment today to report on African American health beliefs and practices as they relate to patient care. Anyone have any thoughts on resources or how to provide culturally competent care ?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Specializes in Cardiac.

Tjc

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

To clarify, when I say I'm trying to be PC, what I really mean is I'm trying to not offend. I can certainly see how the term "African American" neglects those of Haitian, Australian, or Island descent (or those from other areas.)

If this discussion does nothing else, it has served to remind that labels, no matter how innocent the intent, likely will offend someone.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP; Education.
I think that it is also important to remember that although some of the things listed may be true for some people, they are just generalizations. Most African Americans are born and raised in the U.S. and so some of those generalizations are just the not true, in fact the opposite may be true. I am black and I think that direct eye contact is very important and I always try to maintain eye contact when speaking with someone and I would be offended if a nurse didn't give me eye contact when speaking to me. I also value punctuality very much, because it is a good personality trait. I don't believe a person's race has anything to do with how they value time or their eating habits, these things are related to culture and socioeconomic status and the mainstream culture is the American culture that a lot of people, regardless of race, adapt to. So I like to keep all those things that are specific to each culture in mind, but your interaction with any person really depends on what that person's characteristics and not the generalized characteristics of that person's race.

Excellent post.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
As a black person, here are some things that are culturally relevant to providing health care to African-Americans.

1. Direct eye contact may be interpreted as rude

2. Person may seek home remedies or witch doctor before seeking professional help

3. Due to matriarchal family structures, person may seek advice from a trusted older female relative before seeking professional help

4. High fat, high sodium diet is commonly consumed. There's a preference for fried foods

5. Personal touch is perfectly acceptable among close friends and relatives, but is offensive among strangers and acquaintances

6. There's a tendency to be present-oriented and take the day as it comes. Person might be late to appointments since punctuality isn't stressed

I'm also black and don't understand several of your comments. Are the black people you're referrring to from the U.S., or from some other country?

1. I'm no spring chicken and have never heard of direct eye contact being interpreted as rude in the black community. As a matter of fact if someone refused to look me in the eye, I'd be very offended, and would wonder what their problem was. There's a Muslim girl in my communications class, from one of the African counties, and she said that they don't look men directly in the eye, but I've not heard of that in the U.S.

2. Seek help from a witch doctor? Where would one find a witch doctor in the U.S.? I ask my friend from the caribbean about witch doctors, and she said they don't use witch doctors any longer.

I'd like to find one, perhaps he can help me with my anatomy class. :)

I also asked my mother whose 85 years old, and my aunt whose in her 70's and neither of them know of anyone that uses a witch doctor. As a matter of fact, they thought it was funny.

3. I agree with #3. I alway ask my mom cause it didn't cost me anything and she knows the answer in most cases.

4. Probably true, but Americans in generally eat to much fried foods.

5. I agree with not being touched by people I don't know, but I wouldn't feel that way about a health professional trying to assist or comfort me.

6. Interesting, my white friend is the one that's always late, not my black friends. As a matter of fact, we lie to her and tell her to meet us earlier than we really won't her to meet us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I think that it is also important to remember that although some of the things listed may be true for some people, they are just generalizations. Most African Americans are born and raised in the U.S. and so some of those generalizations are just the not true, in fact the opposite may be true. I am black and I think that direct eye contact is very important and I always try to maintain eye contact when speaking with someone and I would be offended if a nurse didn't give me eye contact when speaking to me. I also value punctuality very much, because it is a good personality trait. I don't believe a person's race has anything to do with how they value time or their eating habits, these things are related to culture and socioeconomic status and the mainstream culture is the American culture that a lot of people, regardless of race, adapt to. So I like to keep all those things that are specific to each culture in mind, but your interaction with any person really depends on what that person's characteristics and not the generalized characteristics of that person's race.

Absolutely!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Maybe those who did it are too old now. Eating dirt and/or cornstarch is supposed to be a remedy for morning sickness. A sister in law used to eat starch with a spoon from the box.

Could be the generation that did this is past reproductive age.

PS: Everyone I ever met who did this was from Mississippi or their mother was.

I'm 62 years old and was raised in the south. As a child, I remember people eating starch, but I've never heard of anyone eating dirt.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Political Correctness sticks in my craw, but I'm not under the age of 30, and when I was growing up, black/Black WAS the acceptable term. I have a hard time referring to people whose families have been living in America since long before the time of the Civil War as 'African' Americans. Might just as well call me an Irish-Canadian, even though my family immigrated here before the potato famine! (Very early 1800's)

It's been my experience, that if someone asked a white American what their nationality is, they'll say something like, "Irish American", if their ancestors are from Ireland. The only true Americans are the American Indians. Everyone else is from some other country. If the "African Americans", had not been enslaved, we would know what African country we were from.

That's what sticks in my craw.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

This is very instructive. Please keep 'em coming folks.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
As a black person, here are some things that are culturally relevant to providing health care to African-Americans.

1. Direct eye contact may be interpreted as rude

2. Person may seek home remedies or witch doctor before seeking professional help

3. Due to matriarchal family structures, person may seek advice from a trusted older female relative before seeking professional help

4. High fat, high sodium diet is commonly consumed. There's a preference for fried foods

5. Personal touch is perfectly acceptable among close friends and relatives, but is offensive among strangers and acquaintances

6. There's a tendency to be present-oriented and take the day as it comes. Person might be late to appointments since punctuality isn't stressed

This may hold true for yourself, your family, and others you have been around, but I never heard of those six things in all of my 54 years of living...and I consider myself a Black Female. :o

1. I prefer direct eye contact...so do those in my family, and I've never had a Black patient that told me not to look them in the eye directly, or a Black patient who didn't look me in the eye directly.

2. ANY race might do this. Just read the "home remedies" people try just to avoid a doctor visit.

3. Again, many women of ANY race may turn to another female - their mother, their sister, their grandmother, their auntie, their best friend, a female neighbor they are close to, etc....this is NOT specific to Black patients.......I'm not familiar with this one either.

4. That is NOT a diet I fed my family, or one my mother fed me and my five other siblings. However, this is a diet choice of MANY races from the patients I've cared for in 18 years of practice.

5. I've never seen this one either. Maybe it's more a rule of thumb for people in a certain region of the United States or other countries? Southerners for example???

6. I know people like this all across the racial board.

Hmmmm....is this how Black people are where you grew up, Commuter???

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
In European-American society, direct eye contact conveys honesty and attentiveness. After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul.

However, certain cultures interpret lack of eye contact as conveying respect. Native Americans and African Americans may interpret direct eye contact as rudeness or hostility. If an ethnic minority patient is looking away from you when you're providing care, they're still listening. However, looking away is considered respectful and non-antagonistic.

You'll learn this stuff in nursing school when you study cultural issues that impact nursing care.

Again, I am simply MUMMIFIED over this! :eek: Never heard of this stuff...not ever! :confused:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
I think that it is also important to remember that although some of the things listed may be true for some people, they are just generalizations. Most African Americans are born and raised in the U.S. and so some of those generalizations are just the not true, in fact the opposite may be true. I am black and I think that direct eye contact is very important and I always try to maintain eye contact when speaking with someone and I would be offended if a nurse didn't give me eye contact when speaking to me. I also value punctuality very much, because it is a good personality trait. I don't believe a person's race has anything to do with how they value time or their eating habits, these things are related to culture and socioeconomic status and the mainstream culture is the American culture that a lot of people, regardless of race, adapt to. So I like to keep all those things that are specific to each culture in mind, but your interaction with any person really depends on what that person's characteristics and not the generalized characteristics of that person's race.

:yeahthat: :thankya: Glad to know I'm not the only Black Woman to think this way. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
But black Caribbean families and islanders who reside in the U.S. often confide in witch doctors.

That's "culture" and not their "race" that may have them confiding in witch doctors. Just as every nation is born in America, doesn't meant that same nation practices the same "cultures" of those born in the nation they may have a racial connection to. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment