Nursing and Cultural Competence in Hispanic Culture

1 Nursing and Cultural Competence in Hispanic Culture Culturally competent care is designed to meet the healthcare needs of diverse patient populations. The diversity of people seeking healthcare services is increasing, each having their own set of values, traditions and beliefs that influences their healthcare behaviors. Competent nursing care accommodates the diversity that comes with different ethnicities, races and religions. One of the important steps towards the provision of culturally competent care is understanding the patient’s culture and how it affects their health. This makes it possible to create holistic approaches that are more acceptable to the patient. This paper explores the Hispanic culture, how it influences the health of Hispanics and strategies to providing culturally competent care to them. It also provides my personal statement.

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2 The Hispanic Culture Hispanics are people originating from Spanish-speaking countries, mainly Mexico and Spain. In the US, Hispanics are identified as one of the largest ethnic minority group. The culture and beliefs of Hispanics is deeply rooted in their religion and traditional heritage (Schmidt, 2019). They uphold certain values in their way of life including family ties, social ties, hierarchy and respect for one another. Family ties in Hispanic homes are strong and considered a strong social unit which often includes extended members of the family. Families are expected to stick together and help each other in times of need, including in poor health and financial problems (Johnson & Farquharson, 2019).

Religiously, most Hispanics identify as Roman Catholics while some have adopted other denominations. Their faith influences their day to day activities as well as religious ceremonies that they engage in. Hispanics celebrate common Christian ceremonies such as Easter and Christmas alongside their traditional festivals (Schmidt, 2019). Hispanics like to share meals as families and bond over meal time. Resting after lunch is a common practice among them. Certain foods are thought to influence the health of a person. For example, spicy and acidic foods are thought to increase blood flow during menstruation and postpartum.

Health practices and beliefs among Hispanics are greatly related to their religion. Disease is religiously seen as a punishment from God and traditionally thought to be caused by imbalanced hot and cold temperatures. Depending on God’s promises and prayers during illness is common in Christian Hispanics (Schmidt, 2019). Others may seek treatment from traditional folks who use herbal medicines and certain rituals hence; they may not readily seek western treatment. As a result, it is important to ascertain whether patients are using alternative remedies which may impact treatment response (Johnson & Farquharson, 2019).

3 Challenges and barriers to healthcare and outcomes Hispanics are associated with having poorer health outcomes. This arises due to poor access to care, poor drug adherence and poor health literacy. Access to care is a common disparity among the ethnic minorities and can be further worsened by lack of insurance and proximity to health facilities in areas populated by these patient groups. In the US, a language barrier is also a common reason for poor access in minority populations. Hispanic culture may hinder them from seeking proper medical care or delay before seeking healthcare services. Other than cultural influence, Hispanics may delay seeking care due to dissatisfaction with care, language barrier, socioeconomic status and perceived discrimination. This may compromise treatment and treatment outcomes in such populations (Amirehsani, Hu, Wallace, Silva, Dick, West-Livingston & Hussami, 2017).

Frameworks for culturally competent care Understanding the cultures and beliefs of a population is the basis to providing them with culturally competent care. For Hispanics, various considerations have to be put in place to ensure effective care delivery. First, it is important to recognize their value in family and hierarchy.

Typically, the oldest male makes decision on behalf of other family members, including healthcare decisions. Therefore, it is prudent to consult or inform them on the care of his family members (Johnson & Farquharson, 2019). Second, Hispanics value personal connections in building trust. It is therefore necessary for care providers to take their time and bond with the patient and their family. Hispanics are more likely to value care in terms of attention given and time spent.

Language barrier is another issue that needs to be addressed when dealing with Hispanic patients. Most Hispanics have limited English skills or a heavy accent that affects their

4 communication. In such instances, it is important to have an interpreter to ensure that the patient understands what is going on. Also, Hispanics may be uncomfortable with asking questions or tend to agree to what they have not understood. It is therefore important to politely ask them to repeat the instructions given to ensure that they have understood what has been said. Hispanics tend to be a bit reserved and may feel uncomfortable discussing intimate health issues with members of the opposite sex. For comprehensive assessment, a care provider of the same sex should preferably conduct the assessment (Johnson & Farquharson, 2019).

Cultural assessment tools and competence models Nurses are expected to deliver transcultural nursing, a practice that enables them to not only focus on a single culture but different cultures they interact with. Several nursing tools are models exist to provide the foundation that nurses can utilize in learning about different cultures.

Transcultural nursing models that can be applied by nurses include the Leininger sunrise model, Campinha-Bacote model of cultural competence in healthcare delivery, Purnell model for cultural competence and Giger and Davidhizar transcultural assessment model (Albougami, Pounds & Alotaibi, 2016). All these models use different approaches in helping nurses and healthcare providers to build competence in delivering transcultural care.

Personal statement My professional approach to cultural competence as a nursing leader is to work diligently to learn the differences within each resident’s and staff members’ cultural beliefs and behaviors.

Utilizing tools and/or language lines for assistance with communication differences. In order to efficiently provide care to individuals, you must first be aware of their cultural beliefs in case there may be forms of resistance and or noncompliance I would be able to know what the possible source is stemming from and problem solve in order to care for the patient. By doing so

5 I expect an environment of inclusion, respect and understanding of each other’s differences that can effectively be combined to formulate a diverse team working together for one goal.

6 References Albougami, A. S., Pounds, K. G., & Alotaibi, J. S. (2016). Comparison of four cultural competence models in transcultural nursing: A discussion paper. International Archives of Nursing and Health Care, 2(3), 1-5.

Amirehsani, K. A., Hu, J., Wallace, D. C., Silva, Z. A., Dick, S., West-Livingston, L. N., & Hussami, C. R. (2017). US Healthcare Experiences of Hispanic Patients with Diabetes and Family Members: A Qualitative Analysis. Journal of community health nursing, 34(3), 126–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370016.2017.1340556 Giger, J. N. (2016). Transcultural Nursing-E-Book: Assessment and Intervention. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Holland, K. (2017). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text.

Routledge.

Johnson, M. J., & Farquharson, H. (2019). Hispanic culture and healthcare in the United States: One person’s perspective. Journal of Nursing Research Practice,(4), 1-2.

Schmidt, K. (2019). How Do I Best Provide Spiritual Care to Hispanic Patients?. Journal of Christian Nursing, 36(2), 125. www.ovidsp-dc2-ovid-com.nuls.idm.oclc.org