HLT 307V Grand Canyon Week 2 DQ 2

Hunt, in the article, “Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Practices: Process and Criteria for Evaluating Adaptations of Norms and Standards in Health Care Institutions,” writes, “Patient-centeredness suggests that health care providers and organizations adapt the services they provide to reflect the goals, needs and values of individual patients.”

What does this statement mean to you? Also, by simply making this statement, Hunt implies that patient-centeredness is not the norm. Why is something as important as this not the norm, particularly since the mission of health care institutions is to provide care to those who cannot care for themselves?

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Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Practices

Introduction

The American healthcare system is based on the idea that every patient is unique. While this approach makes sense for many reasons (for instance, each patient requires different treatment), it can also cause problems when you’re trying to understand another culture’s views on health and illness. Here are some factors that may affect your ability to communicate effectively with patients from other countries:

Building cultural knowledge of your patients

• Understand the patient’s culture and language.

• Learn about the patient’s beliefs and values.

• Learn about their social, political and economic situation.

• Learn about their health beliefs and practices (e.g., faith-based organizations).

• Understand how healthcare is delivered in this country/region so that you can provide culturally competent care for your patients using evidence-based strategies such as patient education programs or community-based interventions that have been shown to be effective at reducing racial disparities in health outcomes for underserved populations like ethnic minorities or low-income individuals who may not have access to resources such as insurance coverage or transportation options if they’re living far away from where medical facilities are located.*

Communication and interpretation issues

• Communication and interpretation issues

While there are many ways to communicate with your patients, the most important thing is to understand the patient’s culture. If you don’t know what they eat, how they dress and speak, or even if they have a family or home life outside of their hospital visit then it can be difficult for them to feel comfortable sharing their experiences with you. In order to address these issues in a patient-centered way, you must first become familiar with all aspects of their lives. This includes understanding the language used by their family members—if any—and learning about any traditions that may be important for them (e.g., holidays). It also means knowing which cultural practices are expected within those relationships so as not to offend anyone’s sensitivities during treatment sessions (e.,g., visiting hours).

The role of family members in patient care

Your family members can help you understand the patient’s culture, language, beliefs and values. They may also be able to help you communicate with them in a way that is most comfortable for them.

• Ask questions about their background and history of living in the United States. This will give you an idea of where they are coming from culturally and socially as well as what their expectations are when it comes to healthcare services provided by doctors or other health professionals.

• Try to get a feel for how they prefer being treated by professionals (do they like being asked questions? Do they like feeling included?). If possible, try asking them these types of questions yourself before approaching your patient; this will help ensure that the interview goes smoothly.*

How attitudes toward health can differ between cultures

In many cultures, the family unit is central to health and well-being. In these groups, it is not uncommon for people to rely on their parents or other members of their family for advice on how to manage medical problems or seek care when needed.

This closeness can also be a source of strength in times of hardship; family members may help each other through difficult times or provide emotional support when others are too busy with their own lives.

Religion has been shown to play an important role in the health practices of many different cultures around the world, including Judaism (where prayer plays an important role), Islam (where fasting during Ramadan helps Muslims gain spiritual strength) and Christianity (where baptism helps one become a member of God’s kingdom).

A patient’s native tongue can affect communication

• Language barriers are one of the most common causes of miscommunication, especially when it comes to communicating with patients who speak different languages. For example, if a patient speaks Spanish and you don’t know Spanish, there may be a lot of misunderstanding between you two.

• To overcome language barriers:

• A good way to start is by asking questions about their culture and personal information (e.g., name). This will hopefully allow them to feel more comfortable talking about themselves in your presence.*

Consider cultural factors when treating your patients.

You may have heard that “patients are people too.” This is true, but it’s also important to remember that there are cultural factors that influence their presentation, treatment response and communication with you.

For example: If a patient is from a culture where it’s customary for the family to visit one another in times of illness or death (which could be any time), they might expect you to do this too. They’ll also want you show up at their side if they’re sick; this shows respect for their traditions and culture—and helps ensure that you’re caring for them properly by honoring those traditions as well.

Conclusion

When you’re treating someone, it’s always important to remember that their needs are just as important as yours. If you don’t treat them with respect and compassion, they may not be able to trust you enough to share the information they need in order help them heal properly. This is true no matter how old or young your patient might be!