Nurses are the greatest components of health care; they are ever-present to patients and hold a wide range of responsibilities. Lauu (2000) notes that nursing, as a profession, is committed to social life, human behavior, and the health of people. She further indicates that nursing works to instill knowledge, power, livelihood, and health within a population. The focus is also on many ecological factors, micro, and macro-environments, effects on health, political, moral, and interpersonal perspectives of bodily suffering. According to Lauu (2000), viewing nursing from a cross-cultural perspective, and holistically looking at various ways that we can engage in a holistically setting, a culture of first-rate health care will endorse values of maintenance of healthy living within a population.
Mental illness spans a great number of symptoms and indications. There are many types and degrees of mental illness. Anyone in any age, ethnic, or socioeconomic group can be impacted. In the cultural setting and population, we can review communicable diseases and their control. One of the health issues that people with mental illness often are affected by is alcohol and substance abuse. Because of this abuse, and other factors, such as poor hygiene and inadequate living conditions, many of the people in this population are also affected by Hepatitis. Hepatitis A, B, C present great risks for public healthcare.
Mentally ill people are usually viewed by society as outsiders, and they often live in poor economic conditions. Unless the mentally ill person has a wealthy family, most mentally ill people live on public assistance. Therefore, they do not get the quality of healthcare that people with better economic means have. This can often lead to deterioration in their condition, both physically and mentally. Beliefs and expectations in these medical encounters are considered appropriate, and they vary according to culture range and are influenced by social factors that emphasize the diversity of the relative power expressed by individuals (Shiriki & Christian, 1999).
Many years ago I worked in one of the oldest hospitals in New York City that provided multifaceted care, including psychiatric services to the public regardless of their backgrounds. Most of the time these patients were usually foul-smelling and at times impatient, obnoxious, and smelled of alcohol; some healthcare workers rushed to judgment and accuse these patients of drug seekers. As patients did not get adequate nutrition and were treated as low-income individuals, this hospital cannot be considered one full of culturally competent professionals. Upon Admission, there was usually a secondary medical diagnosis such as CHF (Congestive Heart Failure), HTN (Hypertension), or Diabetes.
Mental illness affects people in all cultures but each culture has a different way of viewing the illness. Each culture has specific values, beliefs, and practices that they share (Cohen, 2010). Culture can be connected with many things, such as region, ethnicity, gender, or shared interests. While caring for these patients, nurses can be exposed to Hepatitis. Routine exposure keeps the risk of health personnel high.
A person’s culture can sometimes be an obstacle for him/her while working with a person who does not understand or who has biases against their culture. Health care practitioners can misinterpret, stereotype, and mishandle their skills. Healthcare workers need to be aware of cultural differences and make the effort to understand them.
Cultural aptitude is the capability to work proficiently with people from various cultural and ethnic origins. It entails the ability to get acquainted with the behaviors of different people. Competence in terms of socio-cultural diversity of the population is the main issue to be assessed while dealing with different patients because inadequate skills and proficiency can prevent a nurse from providing a patient with adequate and unbiased health care. Putnis et al. (2001) indicate that cultural and population sensitivity is an essential component of cultural competence. These are acquired through a long time commitment of familiarity with the cultural behaviors of people and effective health care delivery to the entire population.
References
Cohen, A. B. (2010). Just how many different forms of culture are there? American Psychologist, 65(1), 59-61. Web.
Lauu Jean (2000). “Culturally Competent Health Care.” Public Health Report 115:20-35.
Putnis, Peter, Petelin & Roslyn. (2001). Professional communication and negotiation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Shiriki. K, & Christian B, (1999). Working Effectively in Cross-Cultural and Multicultural Settings: Boston: WCB McGraw-Hill.