Transcultural Health Care - Cuban Culture - Case Study Example

Transcultural Health Care - Cuban CultureThe case identifies Mrs. Hernandez, an elderly Cuban woman who seeks medical attention at a Health Maintenance Organization due weakness, lethargy, and fatigue. She is a widow, having lost her husband to heart attack, and has been living with her daughter who is divorced and has three children. Hernandez does the household chores and lost her balance and fell, sustaining a mild bruise. Her daughter insisted on taking her to the hospital where Hernandez was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Her physician recommended medication, a diet, and regular exercise but Hernandez instead preferred herbs from botanica. Below is analysis of the case based on Cuban culture. Necessary Cuban communication patterns for dealing with Mrs. HernandezSimpatia, personalismo, and choteo are the communication patterns in Cuban culture that I should be aware of when dealing with Mrs. Hernandes. Simpania, according to Purnell (2012, pp. 200), defines the need for a cordial relationship between parties and focuses on “courtesy, respect,” and conflict avoidance.

Personalismo however establishes supremacy of relationships over rules and positions while choteo defines a light attitude. The patterns are necessary because they define barriers to communication and interactions, and awareness and understanding of the patterns help in eliminating the barriers. Assisting Mrs. Hernandez in developing a plan for a 1500-calirie diet and regular exerciseI would apply two strategies in helping Mrs. Hernandez to develop a plan a plan for diet and exercise. My first strategy would be to convince her on significance of the plan to her health and I would use data from other patients’ experiences to show her how she would benefit from the plan.

My next strategy would be equipping her with skills for developing the plan before demonstrating to her how make a plan. I would inform her of the necessary components of the plan such as food quantity, amount of calorie per unit of each food, total amount of calorie per food in each meal, and total amounts of calorie for each meal and each day and type of exercise, duration for each type, and frequency of each type of exercise per week. Encouraging Mrs. Hernandez to go to the botanica to purchase some drugs and approaching her desire for herbs instead of prescribed medicineI would not encourage Mrs.

Hernandez to go to botanica for some herbs because even though some of the herbs have medicinal value, their contents are not accurate. This makes the herbs less effective and less efficient than are modern drugs, especially because botanica products are not strictly regulated (The World Health Organization, 2014, pp. 1). I would approach her desire to use herbs instead of the prescribed agent by empathizing with her condition and ensuring that she recognizes my experience. I would also establish a relationship with her and use her position, as the eldest person in the family, to convince her that her well being is important to her daughter and grandchildren and that the medication is the most appropriate drug for improving her condition.

Pursuing this with respect and courtesy would further motivate her into accepting the drug because of consistency with cultural communication orientation. The rigor would be based on the assumption that her belief in Cuban culture is a significant barrier to use of modern medicine because a significant percentage of Cubans still rely on traditional health practices (Gibson, Morgado, Brosyle, Mesa, and Sanchez, 2011, pp. 697, 698). Common folk practices that Cuban families may use to maintain health or cure diseaseUse of medicinal plants is one of the common folk practices that Cuban families may use for maintaining better health.

Cubans may use plants, which are available in botanicas, in “teas, potions, salves, or poultices” (Purnell , 2012, pp. 210). Rituals such as use of necklaces and animals are other practices for better quality of health among Cubans.ReferencesGibson, R. et al. (2011). Afro-centric consultations as treatment for psychotic disorders among day hospital patients in Santiago de Cuba. Mental Health, Religion, & Culture. (p. 697, 698) 14(7), 691-701. Purnell, L. (N.d.). People of Cuban Heritage In Purnell, L. (2012). Transcultural health care: A culturally competent approach. (p. 197- 212).

Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis. The World Health Organization. (2014). Legal status of traditional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine: A worldwide review. The World Health Organization. (p. 1). Retrieved from: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Jh2943e/5.8.html.