The Influence of Cultural Background on Nursing Practice: A Reflection

This nursing reflection explores the impact of a peer's cultural background on the author's nursing practice. The author, an enrolled nurse, reflects on her initial biases against complementary medicine and traditional treatment approaches favored by her indigenous Australian peer, Ms. S. Through their interactions, the author gained a deeper understanding of the value of complementary medicine, such as naturopathy and herbal remedies, and how it aligns with the beliefs of the indigenous population. The reflection highlights the importance of respecting diverse cultural perspectives in healthcare, acknowledging the need for healthcare professionals to continually update their knowledge on various treatment options. The author concludes by emphasizing the importance of transparent communication and cultural sensitivity to ensure that all patients feel safe and respected within a healthcare setting, and expresses a commitment to incorporating these insights into her future practice to promote better patient outcomes and professional development.

1Running head:NURSING
Nursing
Name of student:
Name of university:
Author note:

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Description
Expanding migration and increased industrialisation have led to communities across
the globe that support diverse cultures and people from different ethnic backgrounds working
and living together. Professions from different domains, including healthcare,are rapidly
witnessing diversification as individuals from different background are working in
collaboration with each other. The impact of such diverse nature of workforce has a
remarkable impact on the quality of care delivered to patients (Willis et al., 2016).At this
juncture I as an enrolled nurse would like to reflect on the influence of my peer’s background
on my practice since she is from a different social and cultural background. My fellow
worker, Ms. S is a member of the indigenous population of Australia. As highlighted by her,
there lies significant differences between our thoughts and beliefs regarding holistic and
traditional treatment options that can be administered to patients. while she believed that it is
always better to treat patients with alternative forms of medicine, I have a strict bias towards
westernised medication treatment options. In addition, she had aa faith on natural healing
process and did not support medication treatment owing to the adverse impacts they bring
along.
Feelings
I was aware from my previous knowledge that indigenous people are the group of
population descending from those living in the country from the initial stage as well as those
from the islands nearby settling in Australia as a result of colonisation (Best & Stuart, 2014).I
was presented with the idea that there are distinct differences between the language, customs,
social and cultural beliefs of indigenous and non-indigenous people. My previous experience
had taught me that attitude and beliefs of indigenous population are orthodox in nature and
that they are staunch believers of traditional form of medicines. I felt that they were backward

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in their level of knowledge and narrow minded, since they held themselves within a boundary
where lights of modern science has not reached. Further, I felt that the health beliefs that this
population uphold is the result of experiences they had in past pertaining to mortality. I was
not in complete support of the approach these individuals have towards health care.
Evaluation
As my interaction with my peer progressed, I gained more knowledge in the course of
therapeutic approaches that they believe in. Different forms of therapeutic approaches are
prominent that are widely recommended by this population, one of the most significant ones
being complementary medicine. An increasing body of literature points out that
complementary medicine services are being used by a substantial proportion of the
indigenous population. Complementary medicine refers to the diverse range of clinical
practices like naturopathy, massage therapy and acupuncture, as well as treatments like
homeopathy and herbal medicines (Micozzi, 2014). I was overwhelmed to find that my peer
had much faith in these practices and engaged in continual research for finding out the
advancements made in this field. She had taken initiative to explain me the importance of
complementary medicines and how they work. As she cleared by doubts and proved many of
my assumptions wrong, there was a gradual change in my viewpoint and how I had looked
down on complementary medicine all this while.
A valuable resource that would be helpful for my peer about use of complementary
medicines is tga.gov.au, the website is referred by a number of scholars who want to enhance
their knowledge about the topic and implement them in their practice (tga.gov.au, 2017).
Analysis
Communication with my peer had contributed significantly in bringing about the
changes in my viewpoints and opinions in a positive manner. I started developing faith in

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complementary medicines and felt an urge to know more about his form of therapeutic
approach. As opined by Posadzki et al., (2013) compelemtnray medicines work in adjunct
with modern pharmacological treatment for achieving better patient outcomes. It can be
recognised as a positive catalyst for action of medical treatment for any disease. Black (2016)
had highlighted that complementary medicines encompass the mind and the soul in the
healing process. The body as a whole is targeted for gaining better health. In case a healthcare
professional is not educated about the effectiveness of complementary medicines, it is
suggested that research is conducted using different resources for being updated on the topic
(Ching et al., 2013).
Conclusion
From the reflection, it might be concluded that indigenous population have a different
set of beliefs and values pertaining to treatment and care for different diseases. The
communication with my peer, who come from a different background, was an eye-opener for
me that taught me the need of understanding other healthcare professionals’ viewpoint and
perception regarding different forms of treatment. Health care professionals are to be
provided with resources so that they can engage in continual research for professional
development. To ensure that an indigenous Australian feels safe in a healthcare setting, it is
fundamental to concede the cultural background of the person as well as communicate in a
transparent manner that shows dignity and respect.
Action
In future, a change in my practice would be imperative for my professional
development. I would ensure that I respect other professionals’ beliefs and perceptions before
putting forward an argument. I would clearly communicate with other professionals in case of
any conflicts arising regarding the form of treatment that is to be given for a certain patient.

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References
Best, O., & Stuart, L. (2014). An Aboriginal nurse-led working model for success in
graduating Indigenous Australian nurses. Contemporary nurse, 48(1), 59-66.
Black, B. (2016). Professional Nursing-E-Book: Concepts & Challenges. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Ching, S. M., Zakaria, Z. A., Paimin, F., & Jalalian, M. (2013). Complementary alternative
medicine use among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the primary care setting:
a cross-sectional study in Malaysia. BMC complementary and alternative
medicine, 13(1), 148.
Micozzi, M. S. (2014). Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine-E-Book.
Elsevier Health Sciences.
Posadzki, P., Watson, L. K., Alotaibi, A., & Ernst, E. (2013). Prevalence of use of
complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients/consumers in the UK:
systematic review of surveys. Clinical Medicine, 13(2), 126-131.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). (2017). Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Retrieved 14 October 2017, from https://www.tga.gov.au
Willis, E., Reynolds, L., & Keleher, H. (Eds.). (2016). Understanding the Australian health
care system. Elsevier Health Sciences.