Healthcare Diversity
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Supporting Lectures:
Review the following lectures:
Diversity as a Multicultural Social Concept
It is the eyes through which it is viewed that make diversity most
intriguing. Diversity is more than a dissimilarity among individuals. It
is a multicultural society comprised of people with varying
demographics, socioeconomic statuses, cultures, religions, racial
classifications, and national origins. However, it is not limited to
these factors. There are many other faces of diversity. These include
language, physical size, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability
(both physical and mental), political orientation, and factors
comprising socioeconomic status, occupational status, geographical
location and more. The concept is more complex than what it seems at
first blush.
There are countless cultures around the globe, which makes it
increasingly difficult to gain an understanding of all. It is not the
complexity of the word culture but the complexity and the number of
different societies. The United States was built as the melting pot, an
ethnocentric concept of acclimating to the concept of mainstream
America. While it is a logical approach to facilitate many aspects of
American society without speaking English, adopting English as the
spoken language enhances the potential success of education, health
services, and other important social interactions. Many cultures cling
to cultural bias such as language to maintain cultural identity. In
reality, mainstream American is purposeful pluralism.
The healthcare setting is not alone in the struggle to achieve
cultural competency, but it is somewhat unique. Perplexing is the
comparison of healthcare delivery contrast to higher education. Many of
the nation’s finest institutions of higher education enroll foreign
students who possess an understanding of the English language to fulfill
educational aspirations. The challenge remains in healthcare delivery
to identify the goals of cultural competency to address diversity.
| Impacts | Challenges |
|---|---|
| Noncommunicable diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, and obesity, have increased worldwide. | Deal with the problem of obesity and the diseases associated with it. This is due to the reason that many US-based fast-food joints have established their outlets in numerous countries. |
| Changes in the infrastructures of transportation and communication and human migration have increased at an unprecedented rate. This has increased the risk of spreading diseases. |
Increase the surveillance of communicable disease to mitigate threats to health. |
| Exploration of healthcare to various markets around the globe. | Understand the religious and cultural values to deliver healthcare services. |
| Illicit and illegal drug trade has spread across many countries around the globe. | Develop addiction programs and lower recidivism rates through spreading education and introducing primary interventions to discourage drug use. |
Additional Materials
From the Internet, read the following:
- Campinha-Bacote, J., (2003). Many faces: Addressing diversity in health care. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 8(1).
Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketpla:
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/AN…
The Spectrum of Diversity Viewed as Self
Pause for a moment and view the idea of diversity through the eyes of
a marginalized individual. Who would you be? Would you be an individual
of a different: religious affiliation, language, physical size, gender,
sexual orientation, age, disability (physical or mental), political
orientation, socioeconomic status, occupational status, or simply be
from a foreign geographical location? This query brings to mind the idea
that diversity means something different to every person. Given this
understanding, it would be impossible to develop a proficiency in all
matters of diversity, but the goals of developing proficiency to
identify and attempt to understand the difference are entirely possible.
The importance of cultural values allows a person to derive a sense
of meaning. We all make meaning through our lived experience. However,
as we progress on our journey we also must be willing to accept and
acclimate to our changing environment. This process can reduce the
burden upon others to accommodate to our special needs and derive a
self-serving measure to accept the provisions of the new environment.
Many cultures extend a welcome when the attempt to embrace the host
environment is recognized. In short, the process is a give and take by
all parties involved.
Several models exist to aid in developing cultural sensitivity in a
healthcare setting. While it is impossible to know all regarding
diversity, the icebreaker is to show that you care. While it might
remain challenging or a moral conflict for a health professional to care
for a person with perceived questionable moral behavior (e.g.,
abortion, substance abuse, spouse abuse, addiction), the role of the
healthcare professional is the humanitarian moral high ground.
The Strata of Society
Diversity exists in all strata of society. It is present in the
society’s subgroups and organizations. All cultures include majority and
minority groups. If diversity is defined as a difference, we must
examine the scope of difference beyond gender and race. The notion of
difference can be based on race, gender, religion, language, geography,
physical difference, disability, and more. All are equally important to
the individual. An individual interacting in the society as a minority
experiences similar emotions whether their difference is based on
gender, race, or disability.
The idea of difference in culture can be especially interesting.
Culture is basically viewed as a set of norms establishing a standard
for acceptable social behavior and interaction. The norms are mostly
unwritten and can be influenced by external pressures such as the influx
of other cultures. Cultural norms guide social interaction, and a
variation can be perceived as a difference or a sense of discomfort. The
difference in social interaction can be seen as boundaries of personal
space, eye contact, body language, negotiating style, and more. It is
widely agreed that these differences might not be sufficient to
establish overt differences. It is human nature to subconsciously avoid
uncomfortable situations. The goal is to develop an ability to recognize
the difference and to be inspired to accept, understand, and embrace
it. No single difference is greater than the other.
Review the links to learn more.
Additional Materials
From the Internet, read the following:
- Campinha-Bacote, J., (2003). Many faces: Addressing diversity in health care. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 8(1).
Retrieved from www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketpla:
http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/AN…
Striving to Understand Cultural Competence
Striving to understand various cultures and achieve cultural
competence is a challenge for a healthcare organization and more so for a
health professional. Many healthcare professionals choose the
healthcare field out of a profound desire to help others. The desire to
overcome barriers is often at a subconscious level as well as the
endeavor to understand health beliefs, behaviors, and culture to achieve
culturally competent and care for the whole patient.
Many healthcare providers might consider an introspective approach to
identify, understand, and assess their ability to care for a diverse
patient population. Campinha-Bacote (2002) have developed a mnemonic
“ASKED” to assist the health professional in self-assessing to determine
and identify areas of sensitivity or needed understanding. The mnemonic
“ASKED” represents Awareness, Skill, Knowledge, Encounters, and Desire
(see table 1). It must be noted the expectation is not to become an
expert or develop the falsehood of believing that one is an expert on
the various cultures and differences in society. It should be understood
that the difference is not only real, but is a lived experience viewed
through the eyes of the patient. As such, the best approach to
understand diversity is through an emotionally astute interrogative
interview exchange between the healthcare professional and the patient.
Several pathways have been developed to facilitate the idea of
addressing diverse cultural desires. The “LEARN” model provides a
process to assist the healthcare professional with an approach to
understand a patient’s difference. The mnemonic represented by the
acronym “LEARN” is the process of listening, explaining, acknowledging,
recommending, and negotiating. In a patient-centered approach, the
diagnosis must first be understood and accepted, treatment options need
to be explained, and the patient should be allowed to select the
treatment that best suits his or her lifestyle, cultural belief, and
other factors (Berlin & Fowkes, 1982).
References:
Berlin, E., & Fowkes, W. (1982). A teaching framework for cross-cultural health care. Western Journal of Medicine, 139(6), 934–938. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10110…
Campinha-Bacote, J. (2002). Cultural competence in psychiatric nursing: Have you “ASKED” the right questions? Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 8(6), 183–187. doi: 10.1067/mpn.2002.130216
Review each icon to understand the ASKED model.
Additional Materials
From the Internet, read the following:
- Berlin, E., & Fowkes, W. (1982). A teaching framework for cross-cultural health care. Western Journal of Medicine, 139(6), 934–938. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10110…
- Campinha-Bacote, J. (2002). Cultural competence in psychiatric nursing: Have you “ASKED” the right questions? Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 8(6), 183–187. doi: 10.1067/mpn.2002.130216
- Putsch, R. W., III, & Joyce, M. (n.d.). Dealing with Patients from Other Cultures: Methodology in Cross-cultural Care. 229, 1050–1065. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK340/pdf/Book..
Assigned Readings:
- Campinha-Bacote, J. (2002). Cultural competence in psychiatric nursing: Have you “ASKED” the right questions? Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 8(16), 183–187. doi: 10.1067/mpn.2002.130216
- Berlin, E., & Fowkes, W. (1982). A teaching framework for cross-cultural health care. The Western Journal of Medicine, 139(6), 934–938. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10110…
- Putsch, R & Joyce, M. Dealing with Patients from Other Cultures: Methodology in Cross-cultural Care, 229, 1050–1065. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK340/pdf/Book…
Healthcare Diversity
The concept of healthcare diversity extends beyond cultural, racial,
and religious personal identity. Healthcare professionals need to
develop the ability to understand the extent of individual differences
commonly referred to as diversity. The differences must be recognized,
but to what extent is the healthcare provider’s obligation to
accommodate? It must also be recognized that some cultures from around
the globe view sickness through a different lens and are accustomed to
different healthcare approaches and outcomes. Finally, the spectrum of
diversity must be recognized as ranging from race and religion to
amputee or the hearing impaired.
Based on your readings and research, answer the following:
- What is the best approach to understanding diversity and why?
- To what extent should the healthcare organization/professional accommodate?
- Do you believe there are specific categories of diversity that must be recognized? What are they and why?
- Do you believe the difference in defining diversity is within the lived experience of the patient?
To support your work, use your course and textbook readings and also use the South University Online Library. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Your initial posting should be addressed in 150–300 words. Submit your document to this Discussion Area by the due date assigned. Be sure to cite your sources using APA format.
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