Introduction
In cases where a medical specialist is dealing with a patient from a different race or culture, it becomes necessary to take into account the features of its traditions, national and cultural paradigm at the dialogical level. With the help of academic systematization, it becomes possible to perceive, at a more distributive level, a culture to which a specialist does not belong (Purnell & Fenkl, 2020). As part of the preparation of this work, a Purnell model-based interview was taken with a representative of the Slovenian nation, with whom I maintained an active correspondence.
Overview, Inhabited Localities, and Topography
Slovenia is a small country in central Europe, bordering Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Austria. Slovenia is one of the countries with a very high diversity of climatic zones and, as a result, breeding grounds for various individuals, which is also influenced by human activities. Slovenia’s four ecoregions represent forests of different types, a third of which are protected by the ecological network. The country’s biodiversity, however, is in decline. SD, who lives in the territory of mixed forests, told me that the forests of Slovenia are under an impressive industrial and environmental threat.
Communications
Slovenian is the native language and the main language for more than two million people living in the country. Typical communication patterns in this culture, according to my friend, involve a lack of directness, a certain streamlining and abstraction. As a rule, the goal of this style of communication is to avoid aggressive or confrontational behavior in your response. The Slovenian language, according to my friend, is similar to the Russian, Czech, Slovak languages with an extremely high number of understandable words, which he had the experience of personally communicating with European friends.
Family Roles and Organization
According to my friend, Slovenia has a traditional marriage institution, but as a rule, families rarely have a large number of children. My friend is the only child in the family, which is connected with the economic opportunities of the parents, according to them. The country has a fairly high divorce rate, which is confirmed by the experience of my friend who says that among his peers there were many teenagers from families living separately. However, parents often remarry, leaving the role of parent to be taken over by another person. Elderly people are rarely sent to nursing homes and continue to stay with their families in their homes.
Workforce Issues
Throughout the 1990s, unemployment flourished in the country and the statistical rate of recruitment was also quite low. Tragically, this affected even more the elderly who were unable to feed themselves. According to my interviewee, everyone has an older relative who faced this problem several decades ago. The country was undertaking a National Plan to change the conditions of employment, but at the moment the problem of youth unemployment has worsened. The country, however, is planning new structural reforms to restore the employment of the country’s population.
Biocultural Ecology
Slovenes are individuals by origin close to the Eastern European peoples and the South European people, at one time mixing with the Sardinian and Russian tribes (Maisano Delser et al., 2019). Genetic selection among the Slovenian people has provided the genetic pattern responsible for the blue eye color in many representatives of the nation, including my interviewee.
High-Risk Behaviors
Despite the fact that there are many centenarians in Slovenia, including the grandparents of my interviewee, certain bad habits are inherent in the population of the country. Tobacco consumption is a risk factor in the behavior of citizens, given that one in five Slovenian adults smokes every day. Another consequence of risky behaviors is an unhealthy food diet, which is why there are many obese children among my friend’s peers (Jakše et al., 2022). Typical risky behavior is also binge drinking, which includes more than six drinks in a row, which, however, is close to the standards in other EU countries.
Nutrition
According to my friend, despite the fact that his family is not very attached to the national culture, Slovenian cuisine is often cooked in the house. Dumplings, that is, pieces of meat cooked in dough, are often the main dish of dinner. For dessert on weekends, the family serves potisa, which is the national savory twisted pie. In Slovenia, according to my friend, they are very fond of meatloaf or special sausages, which also indicates the absence of a culture of moderate food in the country. Slovenes prefer pork to other meats and, due to their geographic characteristics, they catch and consume a lot of freshwater and saltwater fish, especially trout.
Pregnancy and Childbearing Practices
It is possible to receive one doctor’s help during pregnancy in Slovenia both through the insurance and the private sector of medicine. A pregnant woman can get a place in a maternity hospital or choose to give birth at home. Along with this, my friend points out that progressive research in pregnancy environments is rarely applied in practice because of which women are at risk of doing more harm.
Death Rituals
The tradition of honoring relatives who have departed to another world is a special national holiday called the Day of the Dead. On this day around noon, members of the memorials of the dead visit the graves of their relatives in complete silence after the priest has given a blessing. After this, family members have a modest and quiet dinner together, which is an important way of togetherness and commemoration. My friend points out that this is an exclusively Slovenian tradition, as his relatives say anyway.
Spirituality
Despite the fact that the vast majority of Slovenes would call themselves Catholics, they actively profess this faith and only a few go to parishes and masses. At the same time, the country has a fairly high influx of the religion of Muslim cultures, noticeable in the 21st century. The rituals that are ubiquitous for Slovenes include key rites of the Roman Catholic Church, such as baptism, communion, confirmation.
Health-Care Practices
A number of health care practices are quite widespread in the country, and health care services are provided in every city in the country. The country has a smoking ban in all public and workplaces, making it one of the strictest in Europe. The European Insurance Card allows my interviewee’s family to receive all the necessary medical care. Spa resorts and wellness centers are also quite common in the country, but there are opportunities for active recreation.
Health-Care Practitioners
Health care practitioners in the country are divided into three levels of significance. The first level is related to the most basic services such as pediatricians and general physicists. The second level consists of specialists hired through outpatient services but may also be paid for by insurance. The third level refers to authorized healthcare institutions and their specialists.
Conclusion
The academic approach allowed my friend to answer questions about his national culture according to the Purnell model. Implications for public health practices can be many cultural aspects that affect the health of the inhabitants of the country, such as risk behavior and habits. Medicine that does not adapt quickly enough to the pace of the world also presents certain obstacles to effective treatment.
References
Jakše, B., Godnov, U., & Pinter, S. (2022). Nutritional status of Slovene adults in the post-COVID-19 epidemic period. European Journal of Investigation of Health, Psychology and Education 12(12), 1729–1742. Web.
Maisano Delser, P., Ravnik-Glavač, M., Gasparini, P., Glavač, D., & Mezzavilla, M. (2019). Genetic landscape of Slovenians: Past admixture and natural selection pattern. Frontiers in Genetics 9, 551.
Purnell, L. D., & Fenkl, E. A. (2020). Textbook for transcultural health care: A population approach: Cultural competence concepts in nursing care. Springer Nature.