The culture I investigated for this assignment is Somali culture. I asked my neighbor Shukri Mohamed age 54 if I can interview her for class assignment; Shukri agreed and was happy to share her culture with me. Shukri’s cultural affiliation, her belief about current illness, healthcare practices, illness belief and care practices, and her family’s life and support system will be discussed for cultural interview assignment.
Cultural Affiliation
October 25th 2015, I sat down with Shukri Mohamed age 54 who came to this country exactly twenty years ago from Somali. Shukri is a mother of four adult children who are all married with their own families. Shukri said she lived in twin cities and surround suburban for twenty years. “I love Minnesota, people here are very nice,” she continued and informed me that her relatives live in the twin cities area too. According to Shukri, “there is a large Somali population here [Minnesota].” She told me she misses her home country and her relative back in Somali, but “I have made Minnesota my new home.”
Belief about Current Illness
When I asked shukri what she calls her health problem she state “diabetes.” Shukri believes her illness has been cause by food she eats and lack of exercise. Shukri believe lack of exercise and being overweight has caused her to be sick with diabetes. “Back home people walked a lot and sweated,” but here she complain “people are not active.” Shukri also believes being diagnosed with diabetes was meant to be because
“Health is influenced by culture and beliefs” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). In order for the nurse to properly care for the patient, she must know and understand the patient’s culture. “Cultural care is a comprehensive model that includes the assessment of a client’s cultural needs, beliefs, and health care practices” (NRS-429V, 2011, p. 1). It is not enough to just know where the patient lives or where he came from. The nurse must embrace the concept of cultural competence and cultural awareness. This requires not only the awareness of the cultural beliefs and values of their patients, but also
“No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark” this quote by Warsan Shire
Health in all cultures is an important aspect of life. A person’s cultural background, religion and/or beliefs, greatly influences a person’s health and their response to medical care (Spector, 2004). These diverse cultures guide decisions made in daily life; what food eaten, living arrangements made, medications taken and medical advice listened to. A nurse must be knowledgeable and respectful of these diverse cultures and understand their importance when providing care. This understanding helps to build a strong nurse/patient relationship, increasing patient compliance, which ensures positive outcomes are met. Patients who are satisfied
During clinical time in the nursing program there are many opportunities for students to explore their new found nursing skills. While engaging in patient care responsibilities there are many languages, customs, values, lifestyles, beliefs, and behaviors that will differ from their own. Each patient may need healthcare providers to consider certain aspects in order to provide culturally competent care. There are many cultures that have migrated to the United States over the years including the people of Haiti. There are many aspects of their healthcare ideals that may need to be considered while providing healthcare in the hospital setting. This cultural assessment will consider the healthcare matters of an 81-year-old woman on the
Evaluation of how family subscribes to these traditions and practices is offered in detail, while offering insight and/or reflection.It is essential for nurses to provide culturally sensitive care to each and every patient in order to establish repor and maintain a safe working relationship with each individual. To provide culturally sensitive care to a nurses patient’s he or she must first assess their own beliefs, values, and culture at large. The nurse can do this by using the Heritage Assessment Tool. This tool shows the nurse how important their heritage is to them and if they have adopted their ways of life from their family’s history and influence. This gives the nurse a starting point
Today in society there are many diverse culture and ethnic backgrounds, each with their own habits, traditions, preferences, and of these includes health. Different needs of the whole person should be evaluated in detail. This paper will discuss results from three different cultures through the interviewing of them using the Heritage Assessment Tool. It will also review, compare, and address health traditions between the cultures as well as identify common health traditions based on cultural heritage. The purpose is to evaluate and discuss how families subscribe to these traditions/practices, address health
Showing support and respect for cultural health beliefs creates a better interpersonal relationship between patient and physician. When implementing a wellness plan for the patient to follow the physician should take into consideration the beliefs of the patient. Health care providers should seek and obtain knowledge of their patient’s diverse cultures. Obtaining the knowledge of other cultures can be an valuable skill.
Nurses have the responsibility of caring for a diverse group of people. These people come from different cultures, races, and religious backgrounds. Religion plays a major role in patient care and has for many years. Cultural competency is a major component of nursing practices. Understanding culture is imperative in knowing what is important to a patient and how to address his or her healthcare needs. Understanding culture is also important when determining what suggestions to make about interventions for treatment. Culture is defined as many people interacting and sharing with one another their patterns of behavior, beliefs and values (Burkhardt, G. & Nathaniel, A., 2014).
I am originally from Somalia a country located in the East Africa also called “Horn of Africa”, bordered by Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. I was born and raised in Kenya. However, both my parents were born and rise in Somalia, they went their school in Mogadishu, Somalia, and built their family there. Five of my siblings, we were born in Mogadishu Somalia, but unfortunately, they did not had the opportunity to experience them early childhood in Somalia. In a brief history the Republic of Somalia has had its ups and downs with unrest, starting with a war, which broke out in the early 90’s. With these conflicts came unbearable life situations and many people searched for opportunities all over the world, mainly the western continents.
There are multiple key components to providing a comprehensive cultural assessment. The first to consider is the patient’s biocultural variations and cultural aspects of the incidence of disease. A patient’s identified culture, ethnicity, and race can make a person more susceptible to certain diseases (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). The second component is communication. A patient’s preferred language should be identified, as well as his or her style of non-verbal language, and if an interpreter is needed (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). Third, the patient’s cultural affiliations should be identified. It is important to ask what culture the patient identifies with, and where the patient has lived throughout his or her life (Andrews & Boyle, 2016). The fourth concept is cultural sanctions and restrictions. This is information on the patient’s
Somalia is a country situated in the ÒhornÓ of East Africa. It is bordered by the Gulf of Aden in the north, the Indian Ocean on the east and southeast, Kenya in the southwest, Ethiopia in the west, and Djibouti in the northwest. Somalia is about four times the size of the State of Minnesota, or slightly smaller than Texas. The capital is Mogadishu.
Culture competence is a quality that any nurse should have. The article that I decided to research refers to the impact that language and different cultures have on a patient’s health. It is the duty of health care professionals to attempt to learn about different cultures and to be sensitive to the way patient’s feel about their beliefs. Once the nurse understands a patient’s
Years ago our city had an overabundance of Somalian families, and most people in the community treated them as they were uneducated and didn’t speak English well. The factory where they worked treated them like everyone else, but the other workers were discriminatory practices, cruel acts and stereotyping them to carry TB. I think the workers were jealous because the factory catered to their needs for religious beliefs and customs. The working environment changes and the company built a prayer room for the Somali people and allowed for the work change to stop so they could at the time designated by their religion. I cared for some of them at the hospital; they were friendly people, and I returned the kindness. The nursing staff all treated
A nurse can develops cultural knowledge by educating herself or himself about the world view of other cultures and ethnic groups (Creasia & Parker, 2007) about diseases and health conditions, and variations in drug metabolism (Lee, et al, 2006). Some of the ways a nurse can acquire knowledge by reading about different cultures, attending continuing education courses on cultural competence, and attending cultural diversity conferences (Lee, et al, 2006). In clinical setting, a nurse should ask patients how they wish to be addressed. Never make assumptions about individuals or their beliefs. Try to ask questions about cultural practices in a thoughtful manner. Always find out what the client knows about health problems and treatments. In addition, show respect for the client’s support group, for example family, friends, religious leaders, etc.Understand how men and women fit in the client’s society. In some cultures, the oldest male is the decision-maker for the family, even for treatment decisions. If we know who the decision makers are in the family, we can work more efficiently with them to get the better outcomes. This will take time; eventually, nurses will possess a comprehensive knowledge in different cultures, if these are accomplished (Hagman, 2007).
Today when people move across continents with the help of technology their culture and heritage moves along with them. Almost each and every continent is populated with people from different nations who have diverse traditions and cultures. Thus knowledge of health traditions and culture plays a vital role in nursing. People from different cultures have a unique view on health and illness. Culture-specific care is a vital skill to the modern nurse, as the United States continues to consist of many immigrants who have become assimilated into one culture. I interviewed three families of different cultures: - Indian (my culture), Hispanic and Chinese. Let us see the differences in health traditions between these cultures.