Nursing What Area(s) of the Cultural Assessment

Nursing

What area(s) of the cultural assessment would you focus on?

Jarvis urges the use of cultural assessment in conjunction with other types of assessment including family and community assessments. An understanding of culture can inform strengths and weaknesses that can be applied to the development of a treatment plan. During the assessment in this case, I would focus on language, lifestyles, and values. Values might include the patient's value of money, relationships, time, health, education, beauty, and spirituality. I would ask about family background and history to ascertain relational issues. Her communication styles would be important to understand. Cultural values related to food and food beliefs could be influencing the client. Furthermore, the client's culture might impact her attitudes towards the healing process.

b. Discuss the rationale for selecting this.

It is important to know if the client's financial condition is precluding her from seeking care. With regards to assessing the client's attitudes towards health and the healing process, it is important to know if there are prevailing beliefs that preclude her from seeking Western medical treatments. The patient's neglect of her body could indicate an aversion to the Western medical system. It is important to understand the underlying causes of this aversion. Is it the power hierarchy extant in medicine? Or is it a belief in magic and superstition causing the patient to seek help with a shaman (or equivalent thereof) in her community? Perhaps the client does not value health or well-being, and feels that her condition is brought about by God and should not be changed. Whatever the reason, it is important to focus on the client's values and beliefs towards health and healing during the cultural assessment.

It is also important to focus on the client's linguistic orientation. What language does she use, and how does she like to communicate? The nurse cannot communicate with the patient without knowing this. The patient has been neglecting her appearance. Why? I would want to know whether her values towards self-care and beauty are impacting her decisions. Finally, the most important part of the cultural assessment could be related to her family and her relationships. Is there someone who cares for Mrs. Camellia? If so, why have they neglected her health or prevented her from seeking treatment earlier?

c. Relative to your own culture, what would you do for yourself if you had similar complaints as Mrs. Camellia.

I would not have let myself degrade to the extent that Mrs. Camellia let herself go. There might be some psychological reasons why Mrs. Camellia is not taking care of herself. I would probably have had family members, such as my mother, telling me that I needed to see a doctor. Although I do not like going to the doctor, I would do so if I had an issue. For me, though, I have no language barrier. It is not intimidating for me to seek medical care. It might be too intimidating for Camillia to seek medical care. I would also research my symptoms on the Internet to see if there are any complementary therapies I could use.