What is the impact of culture on your professional practice Healthcare - Essay Example

? Impact of culture on your professional practice Impact of culture on your professional practice In the society setting, different factors create the main differences we share from one another. Every person in the society has a unique characteristic that shape their behavior, perception and preferences in the society. One of the most significant factors that shape these features is the cultural differences. The culture a person has and embraces is usually shaped by their descent or origin. This unique feature makes them fit to be described descendants of a particular culture. A culture may be defined as a unique way of living embraced by a specific group of people. In some cases the culture is greatly associated with race (Giddens, 2006; 67). A race is defined as a group of people who share the same origin or come from a particular geographical location. Culture is also closely associated with ethnicity which is an association to a particular ethnic group based on cultural similarities. In the modern society circles, different cultures have migrated across the globe which creates cultural diversification in many societies. Cultural diversity refers to the incorporation of more than one culture in one society. The many cultures caused people to learn how to respect and incorporate other cultures in their societies. The medical decisions arrived at in an institution should be done with respect to the collaborative of the client or his significant other (Andrew & Boyle, 2008; 63) The greater significance in culture diversities is the fact that organization and institution have to learn how to relate to the diversified society in terms of culture. According to Glasper, McEwing & Richardson (2009; 121) public institution have embraced organizational cultures that tend to cater for the different cultures that are present in the society. In the health care setting, diversification of cultures has caused greater changed in the way patients are handled in the institutions. In an argument by Leninger (2002; 78) healthcare institutions have a responsibility of offering services to all persons regardless of their race, ethnicity or the culture they embrace. The author further argues that it is the responsibility of medical institution to ensure that it incorporates tools that will be able to serve the society regardless of the culture diversification trend (Leninger, 2002; 98). Different cultures hold onto diversified health care beliefs. For instance Cambodians believe illnesses have spiritual causes (Dayer-Berenson, 2010; 225). Some cultures do not embrace the administering of the modern medicine. In some cases, some cultures require their own to cater to their medical needs. In an argument by Leninger & McFarland (2002; 111), one significant medical issue cultures disagree is on medical euthanasia. In most cultures that sacredly embrace religion, medical euthanasia is one service that can never be embraced (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2008; 76). In reflecting on my own social and cultural background, my cultural setting does not embrace complicated healthcare beliefs. In my cultural setting, the versatility of our cultural beliefs does not have special recommendation from health care practitioners. However, specific persons hold specific beliefs that differ from the rest of the group. For instance, a person may hold on onto the belief that they cannot be attended by a practitioner of the opposite sex. In such a scenario, the healthcare institution should be able to respect that decision. Importance of culturally appropriate healthcare Cultural appropriateness is a compulsory requirement in healthcare institutions. In an argument by Holland & Hogg (2010; 154) considering the fact that immigration has become a significant activity across the globe, healthcare organizations must have necessary tools to ensure all cultural requirements are effectively addressed. One importance of this trend in health care institution is the promotion of social harmonious living. If every person in the society feels appreciated when in a medical institution, then they will appreciate the services being given to them by the institution. According to Haralambos & Holborn (2008; 143) culturally appropriate healthcare is important in promoting a healthy and safe globe in terms of attending and adhering to all cultural requirements. The author gives an example of the breakout of the swine flu where patients could be affected when traveling to other nations. If the healthcare was not culture appropriate the number of causalities could have been higher due to negligence of patient due to their cultural background. In promoting healthy societies, medical practitioners should learn the specific requirements that are needed in order to increase their patient handling abilities (Potter & Perry, 2007; 99). Cultural appropriate healthcares also play a major role in ensuring that globalization is significant in the healthcare systems. In an argument by George (2002; 45) the versatility of healthcare institutions in handling patients with diversified cultures has been significant in ensuring that the field grows regardless of the social or cultural beliefs the societies they serve embrace. Significance of culture and ethnicity in healthcare Culture and ethnicity diversification have greatly changed organizational cultures that embraced by medical institutions. A scenario where a medical institution in London encountered an emergency case involving a Muslim lady was not handled effectively. Neither the doctor nor the nurse on shift could understand the language of the patient. They had to look for an interpreter in order to communicate with the patient. Andrew & Boyle (2002; 76) point out that such occurrence should be avoided by institution applying the services of a cultural diversified staff. This has been a common trend in major medical institution where every culture has medical representative in these institutions. Additionally, the increased need for addressing cultural and ethnicity in medical institutions has led to may medical practitioners learning different handling tools preferred by various cultures. For instance, in the case of Muslim patients, a medical practitioner of the opposite sex should not cater to the patient apart from extreme conditions (Synder, et al., 2001; 132). The author also points out that Muslims believe that left hand are jinxed which practitioner should respond to by always using their rights hands when doing body inspections. It is an obvious observation that culture diversification has become an integral part of our society. For this reason, healthcare institutions which have a public responsibility to the society should ensure that every person in the society receives the appropriate medical service regardless of the culture or ethnic acquaintance (George, 2002;56). Appendix I Culture has significant effect in all professional practices with medical institution having to implement versatile tools to handle different cultures Cultural perceptions cannot be changed which means that medical institutions should be able to adjust and stretch their patient handling tools Heightened globalization levels have made is necessary for medical institutions to incorporate strategies that will address the cultural diversity that the societies experience today Some nations have made it illegal and unethical to deny an individual medical attention due to their cultural preferences Appendix II References Andrews, M., & Boyle, S., 2002. Trans-cultural concepts in nursing care. J Transcult Nurs, 13(3):178-80. Andrews, M., &Boyle, J., 2008. Trans-cultural concepts in nursing care. NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Dayer-Berenson, L., 2010. Cultural Competencies for Nurses: Impact on Health and Illness. NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning. George, J., 2002. Nursing theories: The base of professional nursing practice. Norwalk, CN: Appleton and Lange. Giddens, A., 2006. Sociology. Cambridge: Polity. Glasper, A., McEwing, G., & Richardson, J., 2009. Culture IN Foundation studies for caring. Basingstoke, Palgrave. Haralambos, M. & Holborn, M., 2008. Sociology Themes and Perspectives. New York: HarperCollins. Holland, K., & Hogg, C., 2010. Cultural awareness in nursing & healthcare. London: Arnold. Leninger, M., 2002. Culture Care Theory: A Major Contribution to Advance Transcultural Nursing Knowledge and Practices. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13 (3):189-192. Leninger, M., & McFarland, M., 2002. Trans-cultural Nursing: Concepts, Theory, Research, and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Nursing & Midwifery Council., 2008. Standards of Proficiency for Pre- registration Nursing Education. London: NMC. Potter, P.A., &Perry, A.G., 2007. Basic Nursing.  St. Louis: Mosby. Synder A., Kozier, B., Erb, G., & Barman, A., 2001. Fundamentals of nursing; concepts, process and practice, New. Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Read More