I dislike people who use herbal medicine as their primary cure because I do not believe in herbal medicine. By becoming aware of this personal prejudice and bias against certain populations, I increase my capacity to work effectively within diverse cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs of consumers and their communities (American Institutes for Research, 2002).
The knowledge of cultural concepts’ role in determining an individual’s worldview and response to healthcare practices aids healthcare workers in delivering the most appropriate healthcare and avoiding their prejudices (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). The Purnell model has grouped cultural concepts into twelve domains that a healthcare worker should be competent in. (Purnell, 2005).
The domain of overview, inhabited localities and topography has concepts that relate to an individual’s country of origin, current residence, and how they affect their emigration reasons or politics. Nonverbal communication and its meanings vary from one culture to another and affect a person’s ability to communicate with the health care provider. Different communities have their family roles and organization which affect their views toward alternative lifestyles like divorce and childless marriages.
The concept of ethnic communication style forms part of the workforce issues domain in the Purnell model. In the domain of biocultural ecology, concepts of variations in specific racial and ethnic origins which may include the differences in the way a person’s body metabolizes drugs are examined. High-risk behavior forms another domain and has the concept of engagement in risky sexual practices which defines the degree of susceptibility of an individual to certain diseases because of their sexual behaviors. On nutrition which is another domain, a health worker should take into consideration that different people have their meanings to food.
Pregnancies and childbearing practices vary among communities and a healthcare worker should know what methods of birth control are culturally sanctioned in a given community so as not to conflict with their culture. Another domain is that of death rituals and this includes the concept of bereavement behaviors which will affect how people handle their dead and how they handle their health during the mourning period.
On spirituality, different communities have their behaviors that give meaning to life and are viewed as sources of strength; they should be understood by the healthcare provider so that quality healthcare is provided. Finally, the domain of healthcare practices has the concept of the role of the sick in the community. Some communities require that sick people behave differently from normal people (Purnell, 2005).
Obstacles such as difficult working conditions by healthcare providers should be improved so that they do not hinder the delivery of proper healthcare by workers. The possession of insufficient technical and interpersonal skills lowers the quality of healthcare provided and should be overcome by continuous teaching during practice. Cultural differences and language barriers have to be overcome by the use of evidence-based practices known to reduce these barriers which should be integrated into the healthcare work process (Schyve, 2007). Health care providers also face the problem of inadequate supplies and can minimize this by having large storage facilities (Lantis, Green & Joyce, n.d.).
As a healthcare provider who is much interested in understanding cultural differences and how they affect healthcare provision; I will be using the knowledge gained to ensure that my client care improves and takes into consideration the client’s culture to avoid stereotyping that result in inadequate client care (Grant & Letzring, 2003).
References
American Institutes for Research. (2002). Teaching cultural competence in healthcare: A review of current concepts, policies and practices. Report prepared for the Office of Minority Health. Washington, DC: Author.
Grant, L. F., and Letzring, T. D. (2003). Status of cultural competence in nursing education: a literature review. Journal of Multicultural Nursing and Health. Web.
Lantis, K., Green, C. P., Joyce, S. (n.d.). New perspectives on quality of care: no. 3. Web.
Purnell, L. (2005). Purnell model for cultural competence, the. Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health. Web.
Rosdahl, C. B., and Kowalski, M. T. (2008). Textbook of basic nursing. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Schyve P. M. (2007). Language differences as a barrier to quality and safety in health care: the joint commission perspective. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 22(2):360-361. Web.