Transcultural Nursing

Major Factors in Transcultural Nursing Beliefs about illness, causes and cures Nutrition and dietary practices Disorders specific to a particular ethnic group Religious beliefs about illness and death

Asian Americans Demographics 4.3% of U.S. population (12.5 million) Asian Indians projected to become the dominant ethnic group within the next decade 2050 ethnic/racial groups will comprise close to 50% of U.S. population

Asian Religions Christianity-Philippines Islam-Middle East Asia Hinduism-India Buddhism-throughout Asia Judaism-Israel Taoism-China Shamanism-Thailand Shinto-Japan

Examples of Asian Healthcare Beliefs Yin and yang balance Respect for physician Limited concept of mental illness Traditional self-care, self-medication, self-dosing Fearful of blood work, excessive testing, surgery

More Asian cultural health care belief examples Self-restraint-may refuse pain medicine out of courtesy Do not touch the head-private and personal Modesty Eye contact Fasting (Ramadan) Visiting hours-large groups of family members Birthing beliefs

Examples of Asian Healthcare Practices Coining (Caogio) Cupping (Giac) Steaming (Xong) Acupuncture Patent Medicines

What is the role of the nurse? Provide care that is congruent with cultural values, beliefs and practices Perform transcultural assessments (communication, personal space, diet, religious beliefs, social orientation, what interventions have they already done?) Develop culturally competent interventions In-service staff on cultural competency Include teaching of transcultural nursing in school curriculum

Example of culturally sensitive interventions: Arrange nursing care so that it does not interrupt prayer session Try to schedule medication administration so that it does not interfere with fasting Try to accommodate dietary needs specific to culture Learn about alternative/complimentary medications

Have I ASKED Myself the Right Questions? A-wareness: Am I aware of my personal biases and prejudices towards cultural groups different than mine S-kills: Do I have the skill to conduct a cultural assessment and perform a culturally-based physical assessment in a sensitive manner? K-knowledge: Do I have the knowledge of the patient’s world view ? E-ncounters: How many face-to-face encounters have I had with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds? D-esire: What is my genuine desire to “want to be” culturally competent?

“Women who teach nursing in India must know the languages, the religions, superstitions and customs of the women to be taught… Florence Nightingale, 1894