Question

Culture

Think about the area where you will be a practicing registered nurse. What cultures may you encounter that are different from your own. How might this affect the way you provide care. What would be important to know about each culture for you to provide the best possible care.

List 4 cultures you may encounter and complete the following chart.

Culture	Factors that may influence nursing care, important things to note.

Answer 1

Culture

The arts, customs, lifestyles, background and habits that characterize a particular society or nation is called culture.

Important Cultural factors that affect nursing care:

1. Arabic Culture

a) Religion: Most of the Arab people are believing in Islam. Arab Muslim population are increasing in number in the United States. They support treatment and giving importance for health and exercises. They are co- operative with the treatment except in certain cases like family planning.

b) Family and community : Family loyalty and honour in the family is having great importance in Arab families. Families are preferring for a fist born son than a female child. Women are not allowed to socialize with other men. They prefer same gender Doctors and patients. Female patients are preferring female Doctors.

c) Health beliefs: They believe in practices that promote health such as exercise and fasting. Also believe in conventional treatment. While nutritional planning, they will have restrictions for certain food items ( example: Pork).

2. Jewish Culture

a) Religion: Most of the Jewish people are strict followers of their Religion. Some of them refuse treatment as they  believe that illness is an act of God. They have certain diet restrictions.

b) Family and Community: Family life is considering as a blessing and Joy. They believe in marriage and family life, even though they accept celibacy also. Most of them are in nuclear family. They need care takers from outside if one of the family member is sick

c) Health beliefs: They trust in modern medicine. Some elderly people are believing that illness is coming from God, so they are not preferring to take medications. Nursing care at the end of life is important for them. They expect a peaceful and comfortable environment with family members.

3. Chinese  Culture

a) Religion: Traditional families from China are believing in Confucianism, Buddhism or Taoism and others are belong to Islam and Christianity. Traditional beliefs strongly influences their way of living, health and health care. Western medicne have a great support among Chinese people along with their traditional treatment like acupuncture.  

b) Family and Community: Traditional Chinese families are extended families. Family is the basic unit in the Chinese society. Mother is responsible for caring the house hold and health issues. grand children are under the care of grand parents. The nuclear family trend is slowly evolving in Chinese community.

Health beliefs: They believe in the fact that bad energy in the body or in house causes illness and distress. The traditional treatment are to expell the bad energy from them ( example: acupressure or acupuncture). They follow an integrated system of Medicine.

4. Native Americans

a)Religion: They believed in animism( existence of a world of spirits and their control over life). They had traditional healers such as medicine Man or medicine Woman . Elderly population of Native Americans are have negative view on conventional medicine, but the new generations have their trust on modern medicine.

b) Family and Community: They have extended families and tribal communities. Families are open and consist of many small families. Infants/ children or sick persons are being cared by other family members. If one care taker is unable to do the responsibility another will take in - charge.

c) Health beliefs: They use conventional medicine, but they often doubt the effectiveness of modern medicine.