Essay On Health And Culture

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Recommended: Socioeconomic factors that affect health

Culture can include, but is not limited to ethnicity, spiritual belief, tribal affiliations, nationalities, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation and disability. Whilst competence implies functioning effectively. This report will elaborate on culturally competent care, acknowledging the importance of culture and the expansion of cultural knowledge and the adaptation of services to meet culturally unique needs.
When looking at Description of the relevance and relationship between culture/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and cultural competence
When considering health, it is vital we identify the relevance and relationships between culture, cultural competence and socioeconomic status and how they may affect an individual in receiving appropriate health care.
There are numerous cultures who share different beliefs in the treatment and education of health in comparison to common western society. These attitudes towards medical care are quite significant because “a lack of attention to cultural issues affects health care and its outcomes” ().

Cultural competency is imperative as a health professional. It is about going beyond sensitivity towards a patient’s cultural beliefs, therefore achieving appropriate health strategies that will eliminate barriers between yourself and the patient. Effective treatment can be accomplished by showing an amount of tolerance and understanding towards culture and family beliefs. Whilst also willing to continuously educate oneself on the various morals and views of others. Socioeconomic status is also a great factor in health as the lower the socio economic status is, the more likely the individual will participate in unhealthy behaviours and lifestyles. Many ethnic groups that assimi...

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...ormation amongst one another and strive to encourage cultural education. Ensuring all programs within the health profession encourage and promotes cultural competency and ensures the availability and access to all services.

Being patient centred in your chosen health profession is vital to ensuring your patient is receiving the best care they can get. Improving the quality of health care for individuals is what all professionals should strive for and educating oneself on being culturally competent is a sure way to improve individual and population health outcomes. To be culturally competent goes beyond open mindedness and understanding. It is about continuously educating yourself and those around you. It is about promoting patient – centred care and attending to the specific needs of cultures and disadvantaged groups, thus addressing the patients needs and goals

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