Cultural and Ethinic Considerations in Nursing

[txwildflower57]

Hi everyone,

I am a Level IV nursing student and I am in the process of doing a research/change paper. I have chosen the topic of Cultural/Ethinic Considerations in Nursing. I need a little input to determine if this idea would be of help or just another pain for everyone.

In the recent years and during nursing school we have been taught that due to the changing diversity of cultures and ethnicities in our communities that we as nurses have to know and take into consideration the differences concerning healthcare, religion, food preferences, and other things that we ourselves may not have any knowledge about all these different patients.

My idea is to implement a database that would give the information to all personnel in a facility about the different cultures, ethnicities, and religious preferences.

Would it be a benefit to you if when you received a new patient you were given a specific list for that patient with prompt questions so you would have a better understanding of their beliefs, customs, and religious restrictions? As an example: Kosher Jewish; I understand that dairy and meats are not suppose to be served together or that the two should never have been put on the same plates. If this is true this questionaire would provide that information and it could be forwarded to Nutrition services so they could serve this patient's food on disposable trays and cultery.

Would this help or would you feel that it was just more paperwork to fill out?

I recently heard an interesting story about Gypsies in the Houston Texas area. Every year they converge on the medical center downtown and camp on the lawns for several weeks. If anyone of them become a patient they will place a pile of dirt under the bed because they believe that their illness must be passed into the soil to be healed. It is the nursing staffs responsibility to make sure that housekeeping does not remove that dirt until that patient is discharged. None of my faculty had ever heard of this either and that was one of the reasons I decided to research and develop a database to provide this information to help nurses and other medical personnel.

Please let me know your opinion very soon. I am working on this paper this week and have to turn it in on March 23rd.

Thanks everyone.

[JBudd, MSN]

Cultural consideration is important in education, compliance and comfort.

It is part of treating the patient holistically.

I do not need another piece of paper to fill out or print out some "overall" considerations that may or may not apply to the individual in front of me.

Part of triage is asking "do you have any cultural or spiritual needs I need to be aware of?". Most people look at me like I'm crazy, but it is part of the mandatory questions on entry into the hospital system. If there is something they do or don't want done, that's the opportunity to say so. "Databases" can be misleading, wrong, or not applicable.

Beyond that, its up to me to know my community and its makeup. I know general things about Navajo, Pueblo, Northern Apache, Hispanic, Mexican and Deaf culture; because all of these peoples are my neighbors and patients.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

it was my sociology classes that convinced me to become an RN.

And that has WHAT to do with the the price of the tea in China?

[RedCell]

I

Also, when you said those in the United States should abide by our traditions, I have to ask, whose traditions are those? The European white majority? We have many traditions. The European white majority is going to become the minority as demographics change in the United States.

I am referring to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this country was founded. It has been the traditional value system since 1776 and it will continue to be the majority long after you and I are both gone.

[flightnurse2b, LPN]

i agree with karen.

i think you have a great idea to build on there.

as far as more paperwork, i am not a huge fan of that, but like she mentioned making it a part of the intranet system is a good idea.

that way nurses can pull it up at their discretion and see what cultural considerations are necessary when the patient informs you of any specific religious or ethnic backgrounds.

for example, i had a middle eastern patient who about knocked me out when i tried to start an IV in his left hand (with my left hand, mind you) he said the left hand is dirty and is reserved for wiping after the bathroom. that is something i never knew!

[txwildflower57]

I agree with you. I know that many cultures live in America now but if you want to live in a certain country, whether it be America or another then you have to adapt to their customs. If a person wants to live in America and continue with their personal customs and traditions that is fine but I don't think they should expect everyone to understand their customs and abide by them. If we do violate some custom or tradition it is not intentional and they should have to have some understanding too.

This is why I am doing my research paper on this topic. If we have to provide these types of services while on the job then the facility needs to have the information available at our fingertips so we have something to reference.

Thanks for your help.

[treeBranch]

This is a very loaded subject. :typing

Think about all of the different cultures outside of those medical walls and ask yourself how they culturally mingle. I would say, overall they do not, they remain cloistered to an extent. Point being, a care plan will not do much in enhancing cultural bridges. The care plan is always underutilized. I agree with the one poster that said one more piece of paper is a bad idea.

I think for what you are trying to study, I would apply to LTC --- there I believe it would be successful and the poster that said to study pharmacy/culture would be useful to the prescribing doctors moreso than the nurse, yet a good idea.

Good luck with the paper, interesting topic,

[feralnostalgia]

And that has WHAT to do with the the price of the tea in China?

exactly as much as your rude comments about sociology as a discipline did.

I am referring to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this country was founded. It has been the traditional value system since 1776 and it will continue to be the majority long after you and I are both gone.

...except that nearly all of the founding fathers were deists and that the majority of american protestant denominations were founded after the constitution was written. and most Jews I know find the term "Judeo-Christian" ridiculous.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

You know what really gets me about this stuff? Take the example the OP gave about one group that supposedly needs to have dirt under their bed. Let's face it, that's a folk superstition dating back from more primitive times. There is no scientific data that supports this, it sounds ridiculous, and probably the people who actually subscribe to that belief are uneducated people.

First of all, I'll bet that ethnic group consists of more than uneducated hillbillies that are following medieval beliefs. Yet these cultural diversity pundits paint these ethnic groups with broad strokes and stereotypes. They actually make non-white people from other countries (except for white hillbillies from Appalachia) sound like superstitious peasants.

Secondly, I see no reason for the healthcare system to indulge people's outrageous superstitions. These people sound like they have severe knowledge deficits. Why should healthcare workers be expected to guard dirt under the bed in a hospital? I think that's outrageous. Let these people put their dirt in a box and put a sign on it themselves not to touch it, just like other people leave their slippers under the bed.

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

exactly as much as your rude comments about sociology as a discipline did....except that nearly all of the founding fathers were deists and that the majority of american protestant denominations were founded after the constitution was written. and most Jews I know find the term "Judeo-Christian" ridiculous.

My referring to sociologists in their ivory towers as smug is entirely my opinion and I'm entitled to it. I find much of sociology to exemplify all that is ridiculous in academia. It was one of the more absurd classes I took in college.

[feralnostalgia]

My referring to sociologists in their ivory towers as smug is entirely my opinion and I'm entitled to it. I find much of sociology to exemplify all that is ridiculous in academia. It was one of the more absurd classes I took in college.

funny, a lot of sociologists from the symbolic interactionist school have been known for things like living on the streets for extended periods of time to be with the homeless in a direct way. I don't see "ivory tower" in this at all. you're more than entitled to your opinion and you're more than entitled to expect people to call you on it. posting disparaging remarks on a post about sensitivity to cultural diversity, did you expect people would just pat you on the back for insulting the OP and an academic discipline that often makes caring about people's well-being central to its focus? Sociology is a scientifically rigorous discipline that has contributed significantly to fields like public health and epidemiology. nursing would be less without input from other sciences, this is just as true for social sciences like sociology and psychology as it is for biology and chemistry.

there is absolutely no difference between this ethnic group's "dirt under the bed" and something like a rosary or a crucifix. both are expressions of a religious belief that plenty of people consider "medieval superstition." there's nothing outrageous about either one of them - and frankly, even if it is nonsense, placebos can play a significant role in some people's recovery. you have all the right in the world to your own opinion, and no right at all to force bedridden patients to act in compliance with it if it isn't immediately relevant to their health and safety.

you do realize your signature quote is from an early sociologist and socialist, right?

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

I see you are 21 years of age, therefore you are most certainly at the height of your wisdom and understanding of life. 21 was also my pinnacle of spiritual and moral understanding as well. Good luck to you.

[hillarypeace2006]

Kudos to the OP. I think if we are working on a goal... which is usually for compliance, holistic wellness, being culturally adept can foster more desirable outcomes. Any nurse who is not interested or is too ignorant to see a positive outcome at the crux of their practice.. just should not practice. Plain and simple. Being culturally competent has opened many doors for me, as I now take Korean lessons.