The Canadian sociocultural environment is famously diverse, each community being represented by a range of sociocultural groups and ethnicities. Among these, Inuit constitute a small yet essential part, being representatives of a set of indigenous cultures bound by belonging to the same environment of Arctic and Subarctic regions (Smylie et al., 2018). By introducing a strategic plan geared toward learning the essential principles of Inuit culture, as well as creating the culture of mentorship within the nursing team, one will be able to ensure that nurses address the needs of Inuit patients adequately.
The exploration and careful study of the Inuit culture will allow managing the current range of issues and ensuring that nurses and other healthcare experts are aware of core health issues to address. Moreover, a more thorough understanding and knowledge of Inuit culture will guide nurses and healthcare experts to select appropriate patient education tools to prompt the development of health literacy in the target population (Smylie et al., 2018). Specifically, it is strongly suggested that the cultural aspects of the Inuit population such as their choice of food and the resulting specifics of their metabolism should be taken into account first (Smylie et al., 2018). Namely, the fact that the Inuit population adheres to lower carbohydrate diet, which, in turn, minimizes the threat of heart disease in the target population, should be mentioned (Smylie et al., 2018). Most importantly, the propensity toward developing bone issues such as osteoporosis, due to the specifics of Inuit approaches to dieting, needs to be taken into consideration when shaping the approaches toward promoting health among members of the Inuit community (Smylie et al., 2018). The specified cultural characteristics may serve as the basis for assumptions and biases during communication with members of other cultures, which is why a culturally sensitive approach is required.
Similarly, the approaches to communication with the Inuit community need to be slightly different from the ones used for the rest of the populations. Specifically, the communication process must be geared toward the promotion of core health management skills and the development of essential health literacy (Smylie et al., 2018). For this purpose, the specifics of the Inuit language and the associated perceptions of health must be taken into consideration. Therefore, to support the aboriginal communities of the area, translation options must be provided so that the patient-nurse dialogue could become more effective. Another communication strategy suggests the integration of multiple visual ais to encourage a better understanding of the subject matter by the target population. Unambiguous visuals and guides developed with the help of illustrations and symbols that are easily understood by members of all cultures must be utilized to convey crucial information to Inuit patients. Thus, the extent of their health literacy will increase significantly. As a nurse, one must use the specified strategies to ensure that the communication process remains uninterrupted.
Finally, several barriers to effective communication with the target group must be discussed. For instance, the problem of access to care deserves a mentioning as one of the core impediments to developing health literacy in Inuit people and promoting nurse-patient communication for the specified group. Among the key barriers to health that Inuit people face wen seeking health support, systemic issues must be mentioned as the most complicated and challenging ones 90. Specifically, research asserts that Inuit people encounter systemic obstacles to health management in the present-day clinical setting due to the lack of access options (Smylie et al., 2018). Specifically, the absence of proper cultural representation of Inuit people within the global community has led to massive difficulties in understanding of their health needs among experts (Smylie et al., 2018). As a result, problems in promoting proper health education and literacy among Inuit community members, as well as making relevant health services readily available to the Inuit population, have emerged (Smylie et al., 2018)). Additionally, the lack of advocacy for culture-specific health needs of Inuit community members has led to the lack of appropriate strategies for addressing the observed situation and making proper changes. Therefore, as a nurse, one will have to focus on active development of cross-cultural communication skills and engage in the dialogue with the specified population. For this purpose, a combination of modern and traditional media will have to be utilized. Thus, changes in the current approaches for addressing health-related needs of Inuit people, as well as overcoming disparities faced by Inuit people in the health sector, can be developed.
With a combination of a strategic plan for helping nurses develop a profound understanding of the Inuit culture, as well as introducing the principles of mentorship to the nursing team and encouraging nurses to educate one another on the issue e of addressing the needs of Inuit people, one will be able to improve the quality of diverse nursing care. Specifically, the efficacy of addressing the needs of Inuit patients will increase to a significant extent. Culturally sensitive and competent communication will help nursing experts build trust in their relationships with the Inuit community members. As a result, a stronger therapeutic bond will be created between patients and nurse, as well as patients and healthcare experts, in general.
Reference
Smylie, J., Firestone, M., & Spiller, M. W. (2018). Our health counts: Population-based measures of urban Inuit health determinants, health status, and health care access. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 109(5-6), 662–670. Web.