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essay on healthcare diversity
essay on healthcare diversity
essay on healthcare diversity
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The United States is a collection of multicultural and diverse individuals and communities (Dreachlin, Gilbert, & Malone, 2013). People of all races, ethnicities, religions, and diversities, each with their own uniqueness, now comprise our health care system. However; in one way we are all the same.
Our bodies are all subject to disease.
Currently, Diabetes is our nation’s seventh leading cause of death.
Diabetes A Systems Approach
Because we are all physiologically the same there are factors that must be addressed in all Diabetics
• Diabetic Care Behaviors that require education and services:
• Healthy eating -Dietician
• Exercise – Gym, weight management, and achievement of goals
• Taking medication - medications in pill, injectable, liquid and other forms – nursing education / monitoring
• Glucose monitoring - managing blood glucose level and reactions - nurse education
• Healthy coping- May require mental health evaluation and treatment – mental health services
• Reducing risks- blood pressure monitoring, maintenance of personal care records, and regular eye, foot, and dental examinations – general practitioner, endocrinologists, cardiologist, opthomalogist, and dentist (Francis, 2007).
• Culturally Competent Care
What is our most powerful tool in providing culturally competent care?
Listening
Asking the right questions and assessing the answers based our cultural knowledge
Cultural competence does not assume that knowledge of a culture will provide all of the information necessary to provide individualized quality care. Cultural competence means knowing what issues are relevant to each culture and asking the right questions.
To Illustrate our point we have chosen three diabetic patients with diversity ...
... middle of paper ...
...ealth care services or assist him in acquiring a resource person will provide him with every opportunity for success in his treatment (Sokol-McKay, 2012)
Mr. Folkes’ need for cultural competence relates to his disability. His issues are dissimilar to the other two patients in that his diversity is related to his disability and not to his ethnicity or race. Disabled individuals are receiving better specialized care than in the past and often require multiple adjustments to their education and treatment plan to accommodate their disability.
In conclusion, cultural competence is especially relevant in the treatment of diabetes. Disease and symptom control in diabetes is interdependent on effective lifestyle management, which can only be realized when the health care provider understands, acknowledges, and responds to each individuals cultural and diversity needs.
Larsen, P. D., & Hardin, S. R. (2013). Culture and cultural competence. In I. M. Lubkin & P. D. Larsen (Eds.), Chronic Illness Impact and Intervention (8 ed., pp. 343-367). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Diabetes mellitus also known simply as diabetes refers to a group of metabolic diseases which affect the body’s homeostatic mechanism used for maintaining and regulating the body’s blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a chronic condition which, in 2013 was estimated to be affecting 382 million people worldwide.[1] People suffering from diabetes are required to constantly be vigilant of their blood sugar levels to ensure it does not go below or above optimum levels. Depending on the type of diabetes and glucose level range, they may need to inject themselves with insulin or eat high sugar foods to restabilise their body. Failure to do so can lead to other long term health effects.[2]
Kodjo, C. (2009, February,2009). Cultural competence in clinician communication [Pediatr Rev]. Pub Med Central, 30(2), 57-64. doi:10.1542/pir.30-2-57
Perez, M. A. & Luquis, R.R. (2009). Cultural competence in health education and health promotion. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.
Mainous, A. G., Diaz, V. A., & Geesey, M. E. (2008). Acculturation and healthy lifestyle among Latinos with diabetes. The Annals of Family Medicine, 6(2), 131-137.
Cultural competence as a concept is broad and inclusive of areas that go beyond race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and belief system. An approach to the care of patients should also take into account the values that the patient wishes to adhere to when receiving care. Being culturally competent extends to respecting religious traditions, family hierarchy, personal space, and end-of-life matters. Attempts at cultural brokerage can be made to educate patients while being cognizant that our model of care and interventions do not supersede the patient’s cultural values. (Dreachslin, Gilbert, & Malone,
Throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, between 2 and 3 of every 100 people have a known form of diabetes (DTC, 2004). What is diabetes? Explained simply, it is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. In the normal state of glucose function, there is a stable release and uptake of glucose, regulated by two hormones produced in the pancreas, glucagon and insulin. There are two distinct mechanisms which give rise to the abnormal blood glucose levels seen in patients with type I and type II diabetes. In type I diabetes, a deficiency in insulin production at the pancreas results in elevated blood glucose levels due to the lack of hormonal regulation. In type II diabetes, although the pancreas produces regular levels of insulin, the body resists the effect of insulin, inhibiting the ability of insulin to break down glucose in the blood. Because of the inherent differences in the biochemical mechanisms of these two diseases, the characteristics associated with type I and type II diabetes are very different. The typical onset of type I diabetes is usually ...
The diversity among the U.S. population is very large and continue to grow, especially the Hispanic group. More so, health promotion can be defined or perceived in many ways depends on the minority group and their culture beliefs. As health care provider, recognizing and providing cultural competent is very important. In addition, assessing the health disparities among the minority group and teaching them how to promote good health will benefit along the way. Furthermore, health care providers have the role to promote good health but without proper education and acknowledge cultural awareness will be impossible to accomplish.
Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person recognizes as a health care professional and whom they views as traditional healer, can aid the development of trust and improve the individual’s investment and participation in treatment. Third, our population in the United States is not only growing quickly but also changing, cultural competence will allow us as educators and healthcare workers keep up wi...
There is a lack of conceptual clarity with cultural competence in the field and the research community. Cultural competence is seen as encompassing only racial and ethnic differences, and omitting other population groups who are ethnically and racially similar to providers, but are stigmatized or discriminated against, who are different in other identities, and have some differences in their health care needs that have resulted in health disparities. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Cultural competence like so many other social constructs has been defined in various ways. One particular definition as determined by the Office of Minority Health states cultural competence is a set of behaviors, attitudes, and policies that are systematically exercised by health care professionals which enables the ability to effectively work among and within cross-cultural situations (Harris, 2010). Betancourt (2005) implied cultural competence is starting to be seen as a real strategy to help with improving healthcare quality and eliminating the injustices pertaining to healthcare delivery and healthcare access. This appeal is gaining favor from healthcare policy makers, providers, insurers and
Cultural competence in health care provision refers to the capacity of health care systems to offer good care to patients and accommodate employees, who have diverse beliefs, behaviors, and values to meet their cultural, linguistic, and social needs. It comprises of policies, attitudes, and behaviors that integrate to form a system that can operate efficiently in cross cultural conditions. Healthcare organizations look at cultural competence from two major viewpoints. Firstly, it is a tool to enhance patient care from all backgrounds, social groups, languages, religions, and beliefs. Secondly, it is a tool that strategically attracts potential clients to their organizations and, hence, expands
Cultural blindness can lead to misconceptions and the inability to treat patients efficiently. Culture, religion, beliefs, values, social economic standings, education, mentality, morals, and treatment are all different from person to person, community, and groups. These barriers can be overcome by treating each patient as a unique individual and seeking to learn about cultural beliefs and differences, without reservations or pre-judgments but with an open and willing mind. These inhibiting barriers can be crossed through acceptance and commonality can be established. Through Patient-centered communication and attentiveness to the patients’ interpretation, discussion of lifestyle and treatment choices in an open and non-judgmental manner, and understanding of patient views, concerns and information needs can lead to cultural sensitivity and appreciation (Dean, R,
Cultural competence can be defined as using the ability of one’s awareness, attitude, knowledge and skill to effectively interact with a patient’s many cultural differences. Madeline Leininger, a pioneer on transcultural nursing describes it this way; “a formal area of study and practice focused on comparative human-care differences and similarities of the beliefs, values and patterned lifeways of cultures to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial health care to people” (Barker, 2009, p. 498). The importance of cultural diversity in healthcare allows for the delivery of appropriate cultural autonomy. Showing respect for others will lead to trust between nurse and patient which in turn improves healing and health.
Miller, Leininger, Leuning, Pacquiao, Andrews, and Ludwig-Beyer, (2008) support that the skill of cultural competency in nursing is the ability to gather relevant cultural data on the presenting problem of the patient. This cultural assessment is defined as a "...