Nursing practice in Hispanic culture

Cultural Diversity

Hispanic culture is among the global cultures that are well-known for its unique believes, traditions, and practices that dictate the lifestyles of its people. Hispanic culture has a unique family, community structure, and hierarchies. The extended family is the basic characteristic of the Hispanic families. The parents, children, and the grandparents live in one household or a nearby one. The Hispanic communities recognize that family needs should be addressed in the society for positive relationships between different stakeholders. Every member of the community has a defined role to perform. The fathers are considered the heads of their families while the women provide the necessary support to their families (Steele, 2006).

Hispanic people have a unique culture related to pregnancy and childbearing. They believe that pregnant women should avoid some hot food as they cause spots on the skin of the unborn child. Food such as eggs, oysters, and fish are not recommended for the pregnant women as they feel to cause a bad odor on the babies. They also hold that women should stay active and eat food-containing iron for healthy development of the baby. In addition, the women should avoid wearing any ornament or clothing around the neck as it causes umbilical problems. During the delivery, a woman should not take any medication for minimizing pain because it is unhealthy for the baby. While they utilize the services of traditional midwives, they also recognize the safety associated with hospital delivery. Hispanics consider death and dying the will of the God. However, the dead should be provided with care that ensures dignified death. Prior to the event of the death, the women take the responsibility of providing the required care to the sick to facilitate their peaceful death. Grieving and mourning are considered healthy as they promote their recovery (Rivera & Briones, 2010).

The Hispanics utilize the use of traditional medicines and conventional medicines. Despite the popularity of the traditional medicines from the herbalists, they also recognize the value of using modern medicines for the management of their ailments. Individuals suffering from chronic illnesses face the challenges of social isolation and stigmatization. It is attributed to them being perceived as violators of social norms and practices. Hospitalization is also associated with social isolation as the families with their members hospitalized are considered outcasts in the society. However, some of these perceptions have changed over time. Individuals suffering from mental illnesses face significant isolation and stigmatization in the society. As such, their utilization of mental health services is low due to the isolation and stigmatization encountered by these populations. Dietary practices among the Hispanics vary significantly. The Hispanics rely majorly on beans, grains, and fruits alongside the incorporation of vegetables in their diet. Their food specificity increases their vulnerability to health problems such as diabetes and other diet-related conditions (Rivera & Briones, 2010).

Like the African-American culture, the Hispanic culture does not view time and spatial relationship as commodities. In their opinion, time is a factor that does not influence their lives significantly. The care of the elderly in the Hispanic culture is the responsibility of the family. The children and grandchildren of the elderly take the role of providing the required care to the elderly. The Hispanics engage in various social activities. Among them, include teamwork in executing various social activities such as building and construction, sports, businesses, and other forms of activities that contribute to their social well-being and development. Typical communication of the Hispanics combines the use of the verbal and non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication used by the Hispanics differs from that used by the African-Americans. The high context of the Hispanic culture translates to the enhanced use of verbal communication by the members of the society. Combining verbal and non-verbal communication allows cross-cultural communication, thereby, the relationship of the Hispanics and other cultures (Steele, 2006).

Case analysis

i) Case of an 81-year-old grandmother

The questions to be used for conducting an assessment should be structured to meet the cultural needs of the patient and the critical needs of the patient. It implies that the questions should aim at acquiring information related to the care that will be available at home to meet the needs of the grandmother. In addition, the evaluation questions should aim at identifying other aspects of care required by the grandmother such as nutritional needs and care of the elderly.

Nursing diagnoses- i) impaired physical mobility related to neuromuscular weakness as evidenced by inability to move

ii) Impaired communication (verbal) related to involvement of the facial nerve as evidenced by dysarthria

iii) Activity intolerance related to the inability to perform the activities of the daily living as evidenced by bladder incontinence, prolonged bed rest, and inability to feed.

Planning of care should be collaborative. It should involve the members of the family because they are the ones to provide long-term care to the patient. The planning should also consider the priority needs of the patient, thereby, her positive outcomes. The care should be implemented considering the abilities of the family, availability of the required support and resources. Besides, frequent monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes must be provided to the grandmother (Moyet, 2010).

II) Case off premature birth (28 weeks)

The questions for this case should be structured to target the availability of care that should be provided to the baby born premature and perspectives of the family and the community members. As such, the questions should aim at eliciting information related to the acceptance of the premature birth in the family and the other care needs for the mother and the baby.