Introduction
Medical institutions must consider patients’ cultural traits in the age of globalization when people of various nationalities migrate to live permanently in other countries. When the patient first arrives at the hospital, I would unquestionably conduct a cultural assessment.
Discussion
One of the written forms the patient will need to complete is this one. Relatives must fill out the form if the patient cannot do so due to a severe condition. A cross-cultural assessment tool was thought to help gather information to ascertain the nature of the issue from patients’ perspectives, foster and sustain therapeutic relationships and communication, and implement treatment plans (Handtke et al., 2019). External factors like food, drink, and other cultural practices can aid the clinician in diagnosing a patient, making cultural assessment an essential step in clinical practice.
I had an example when a cultural assessment made it possible to establish the correct diagnosis. A patient suffered from diarrhea, coughing, fever, and breathing difficulties. The typical cold treatment was prescribed to him because these symptoms are pretty standard, but it did not work. I decided to conduct a cultural assessment after the patient revealed during conversations that he had just arrived in this country. It turned out that the patient had recently moved from the United Arab Emirates, where he worked on a camel farm. The correct diagnosis of camel flu was made possible by cultural assessment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cultural assessment is crucial to making a diagnosis since different cultures have unique traits that influence people’s behavior. In hospitals, cultural testing should be conducted before starting treatment of a patient. This can be done through testing, an interview, or a written questionnaire with open-ended questions. In certain circumstances, a test should be conducted on the patient and their relatives to make a diagnosis.
Reference
Handtke, O., Schilgen, B., & Mösko, M. (2019). Culturally competent healthcare – A scoping review of strategies implemented in healthcare organizations and a model of culturally competent healthcare provision. Plos one, 14(7), e0219971.