The Usefulness of the Heritage Kit - Essay Example

The usefulness of the Heritage Kit The Heritage Kit has always assisted the nurses by providing the necessary resources and exemplars during family assessment. It has also played the biggest role in the implementation of cultural competency during health education and promotion in the following aspects: Cultural awareness- cultural awareness is the knowledge of the predominant culture in a community and how such cultures affect the perception in various health issues. The heritage kit has relevant lead questions that help the health provider know and understand various cultures in the community. Through the comparison of different heritage kits results, it would be of much interest to see the cultural encounter in the community. The heritage kit is, therefore, the quickest way for a nurse to gain the knowledge of the community culture (Giger, 2007). Cultural imposition- cultural imposition is the tendency by a nurse to apply the majority culture on every individual without any further probing. Cultural imposition has led to the abuse of other community cultures. Through the heritage kit, a nurse shall know the different cultures of every individual. This will help him deal with every patient at individual cultural level. For instance, there are cultures which do not allow the eating of certain foods that majority eats. Therefore, the health provider must not recommend such food to the individual, as that will be cultural imposition. Cultural sensitivity- this is when both verbal and non-verbal language is used in a very respectful way as not to offend any individual in the community. For this reason, a health provider will be obliged to use more polite language when handling clients. Some words may be universally accepted but prohibited by a certain community. By assessing a family using the heritage kit, a health provider shall be able to deeply understand the language norms of that particular community and thus help him avoid the use of certain words on patients (Bazron, 2002). Diversity- diversity is the general variation in the society. When an assessment carried out using the heritage is closely evaluated, a heath provider gets to know the level of diversity in a particular community. He will be able to know in exact numbers, for instance, how many orphaned children are in the community so that they can be provided for. He is also able to know the population of the sexually active people and thus gets to plan sex education for them. Health disparity- with the help of the heritage kit, a nurse gets to know why a certain health condition has been persistent in a given population. For instance, a population may be consistently suffering from a disease due to lack of adequate education or because their income does not allow them to access good health services. If the level of education is the root cause of their health problem, then the nurse shall quickly plan for health education and health promotion in that particular community. If it is the low income, then the nurse must advocate for the eradication of the health care disparity. Stereotyping- stereotyping is judging an individual based on a general aspect such as sex, religion, race or age. Stereotyping may lead to a nurse imposing a culture on a patient. For example, it would be wrong for a nurse to judge that a religious family would not embrace health education and health promotion. This may lead to such families being left out of many health programs. When the heritage kit is used, one has the opportunity to access the true reaction of such a family. It is also wrong to think that all the youth indulge in unprotected sex and therefore are at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The heritage gives the individual view of the society. Other than the aspects discussed above, the heritage kit is also of great significance to family, just like it is to the nurses. The kit, unlike verbal interview, gives an individual being interviewed much space and privacy when answering the question. Some confidential words are better written than spoken. When a family member is given an opportunity with the kit alone, he may be confident and disclose what he does not want other family members to hear. The nurse, however, must assure the interviewee of the confidentiality. Health traditions The United States of America has different ethnic communities which practice distinguished cultures. It is interesting how the nurses interact with individuals of separate cultural beliefs and practice. It is the obligatory duty of the nurses to learn and understand all these cultures so as to facilitate an effective service delivery. For that matter, the heritage kit was designed to aid the understanding of diverse cultures of USA (Spector, 2000). The heritage kit was used to assess three different families of different cultural backgrounds. The main objective of the assessment was to establish their health perceptions and traditions. The other aim was to find out the individuals subscribe to these traditions and how the traditions influence their health. The three families were from the cultural backgrounds of the African American, Indian American and the Western culture (the non-Hispanic Whites). Common Health Traditions Among the three families assessed with the heritage kit, some of the health traditions seemed to be shared. First, all of these families had embraced the modern forms of treatment that come the change in technology. These include the treatment of severe health complication such as cancer. For instance, the treatment of cancer using chemotherapy has been criticized by faction of the US community to be having very adverse side effects on the patient. However, these families did not have any problem with such health technologies. They said it is always for the good of the patient. It only shows that the individuals in these families are not conservative. They have been very flexible and quick to adapt to any technological change. This common health tradition shared by these families can be attributed to their education level. Both the parents and the kids from these three families had obtained basic education. The formal education they achieved from school might have enlightened them on the benefits of technology. Although one member from these families was abusing substance and alcohol, he concurred with the rest that bad behavior can lead to bad health. They were all of the opinion that one must not indulge himself in such behaviors that pose big threats to their health. From the analysis of the data collected using the heritage kit, very few individuals from these families had abused drugs and alcohol. The few individuals who had quitted alcohol said they needed health education that will help them overcome the withdrawal effects that may make go back to the bad habits. Differences in Health Traditions All the three families had different views on the perception of the connection between health and lifestyle, especially eating habits. The African American family did not seem to agree with the fact that bad eating habits may pose a threat to health. Instead, they argued that the government should be responsible enough to make sure that shops stock healthy foods that are fit for human consumption. The white American stressed the fact that one has to the right quantity and quality of food so as to stay healthy. They blame overeating for obesity. The Indians say that they have always been very careful with what they eat. On a closer scrutiny, it was established that the family members always subscribe to these health tradition by mimicry of the elders. Children who grow up with their parents will always follow the path set by the parents. A few others, especially the youth, copy the traditions and views of their peers. Health maintenance, Protection and Restoration The three families must be given adequate health education on various emerging health problems. They should be kept up to date with the current health problems so that they can be able to maintain good health. Health protection concentrates on an identified health threat. The family from the African American background is at risk of obesity since the members do not care much of the quantity they eat. Health restoration needs to be done to the members who had quitted drinking. The addicted individuals can be taken to the rehabilitation centers. Reference Bazron B. (2002). Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care. Georgetown University. Washington DC. Giger E. (2007). Health Conception and Beliefs. Good reads Publications. Ohio Leah M. (1998). Nurses and Families: A Guide to Family Assessment and Intervention. F. A Davis Co. Philadelphia Spector R. (2000). Cultural Care: Guide to the Heritage Assessment and Health Traditions. Boston: Pearson Education. Zitzow E. (2014). Tool Kit for Culturally Competent Nursing Education. Georgetown University. New York. Read More