IndexAsian CultureNative American CultureAfrican CultureConclusionReferencesWhen providing care, it is critical that nurses know and understand the culture of those they care for. If they do this, they can offer care uniquely tailored to the patient so that the patient can feel comfortable and understood. To be able to do this, nurses must study the different cultures of the world and be willing to ask questions when patients come in who come from a cultural background with which the nurse is not familiar. So, to understand some different cultures and their approach to medicine, Asian, Native American, and African cultures will be examined. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayAsian CultureUnlike Western culture, Asian culture is very focused on maintaining balance within the body. One of the concepts of Asian culture more or less known in the West is the idea of Yin and Yang. Within the idea of Yin and Yang, it is vital for a person to maintain balance in their life, i.e. emotions, thoughts, heat, cold and so on. Similar to this concept is the idea of qi and blood. In cultural understanding, qi and blood interact together to make blood move throughout the body and move energy throughout the body (Chung, Ma, Lau, Wong, Yeoh, & Griffiths, 2012). Treatments such as acupuncture can be used to open qi pathways and treat ailments. People from Asian cultures are reluctant to share health information or express pain or discomfort. When people from Asian cultures receive care from Western healthcare, they often blend the traditional methods of their own culture with the treatments they are receiving (Yeung, 2006). So, the best thing a nurse can do to care for her Asian patient is to ask the patient what he thinks is the cause of his disorder. The nurse may learn that the patient believes something is out of balance in his or her life. At this point, the nurse must be an advocate for the patient and see how the nurse and patient can work together to blend the best of both treatments so that the patient believes that balance in their body has been restored. This may mean combining the use of herbs with medications prescribed by your doctor. As the nurse converses with the patient, she should inquire about what treatments the patient has already tried or whether he has seen anyone before coming to the hospital for treatment. This can provide information for nurses to understand how the patient views their condition and is trying to treat it, as well as providing information about who the patient relies on for medical information. Most importantly, the nurse should not show signs of disbelief in the patient's practices as this can quickly break down communication and trust between the nurse and the patient. If the patient feels that he or she is understood and that the nurse respects the patient's traditional medical practices, such as acupuncture, then the patient will trust the nurse. Then, the nurse can recommend the patient to the doctor so that the patient can receive treatments such as acupuncture or hot or cold foods so that the patient also feels like he is healing. Asian medical practices have proven to be effective treatments and should be taken into consideration especially when treating an Asian patient (Yeung, 2006). Native American Culture The peoples of the Native American tribes have variousapproaches to treat disorders affecting their health. The common beliefs among these people are strongly linked to spirituality. A person's health and well-being in this culture are based on a harmonious relationship between themselves and their surroundings (Koithan & Farrell, 2010). Practices may vary between tribes, however, almost all tribes use combinations of herbs, ceremonies, prayer and therapies to cure or even prevent ailments. Some practices may seem particularly strange to practitioners of Western medicine. These might include using songs and dances to treat the conditions. Additionally, it is common for Native Americans to consult a shaman or medicine man who can provide herbs, dances, or other forms of treatment for illnesses. Interestingly, it has been found that younger generations in Native American culture who have abandoned traditional practices are experiencing higher incidences of disease and poorer health states (Koithan & Farrell, 2010). When providing care to people from these cultures, the nurse must learn which tribe the patient is a member of and what practices they use to treat and prevent disease. The nurse would also do well to inquire whether or not the patient has seen a medicine man or shaman, what the medicine man or shaman has prescribed, and whether the patient also wishes to include the medicine man or shaman in his or her health care (Bassett, Tsosie and Nannauck, 2012). Similar to the approach with Asian cultures, if the nurse can be an advocate for the patient and help blend the practices of the Western doctor with the traditional practices of the medicine man or shaman, then she can provide optimal patient care. Beyond that, including family in the patient's treatment and care can help overcome any feelings of isolation a Native American patient may experience in a hospital setting. (Bassett, Tsosie, & Nannauck, 2012. In keeping with the idea of how important the connection between person and land is in Native American culture, it may be important for the nurse to provide ways for the patient to feel the connection to the land An example would be to simply open a window to allow fresh air into the room and provide a view of the sky (Koithan & Farrell, 2010). approaches to medicine is African culture. Like Native American peoples, African people may belong to different tribes who have different beliefs and ideas regarding medicine. The idea in their culture is the reliance on ancestors to communicate with God. Similar to how Catholics can use prayers to saints to communicate with God, people from African cultures use their deceased ancestors to communicate with God (Mokgobi, 2016). They often turn to traditional healers to learn how to properly communicate with their ancestors and God. Within this culture, people may have believed that their illness was the result of witchcraft or punishment from the ancestors. There are also various types of healers, birth attendants, diviners, and other roles still commonly used in medicine within this culture (Mokgobi, 2016). If a nurse is responsible for the care of a patient from an African culture, she must first identify the patient's beliefs and understanding of the cause of his illness. A patient who believes that his illness is a punishment from his ancestors or an act of witchcraft may not feel very well cared for when he is prescribed certain medications. The nurse should do her best to try to include a traditional healer whenever possible to provide a1761144/.
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