Exploring Cultural Identity and Healthcare Practices in Australia

This essay delves into the significant influence of cultural identity on healthcare delivery and outcomes within the Australian context. It emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural sensitivity, particularly concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, whose health beliefs and practices are deeply connected to their land and traditions. The essay highlights the need for healthcare providers, especially nurses, to be aware of diverse cultural perspectives, languages, and religious beliefs to provide effective and equitable care. It discusses how factors like education, language, and spiritual beliefs shape health behaviors and access to services, advocating for culturally competent healthcare practices that address health inequalities and promote universal healthcare. The paper underscores that every healthcare provider must be aware of the context of the whole community.

Running Head: CULTURAL IDENTITY AND HEALTHCARE IN AUSTRALIA
Cultural Identity and Healthcare in Australia
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Cultural Identity and Healthcare in Australia
Introduction
Cultural identity can be described as a sense of belonging within a given group. Cultural
identity is formed due to the companionship anchored on similar social structures, beliefs,
languages, and traditions (Chang et al. 2017). It is specific and unique for every person and is not
universally or globally the same. Therefore, when an individual is removed or migrates from a
community, his or her physical and mental health can be adversely affected due to a lost sense of
belonging and self. Cultural identity is a vital factor for health experts to consider as culturally
sensitive practices need to be done to ensure that each person is attended to effectively, and
encouraged to maintain safe and good health. The paper will reflect on how cultural identity
influences individuals’ and community health.
Significance of the nurses understanding cultural identity in Australia
Sensitivity as well as understanding of personal, cultural identity is significant when
working as a health care provider. In spite of the typical social and economic challenges involved
in the health inequalities the effect of a lack of sensitivity and understanding towards an
individual’s cultural identity as well as a health need to be considered too. In Australia, for
instance, the culture and belief of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander do not allow them to
discuss their health as it is linked to their land. Some of the Aboriginal cultures do not even
encourage mental healthcare providers discussing mental issues in the country as mental health is
not encouraged in their culture. Thus, when a healthcare provider works in Australia, he or she
must appropriately understand the culture of the people (Shepherd, 2019).

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. Our cultural lens normally influences how we understand other people and how we relate
with them in society. Examination of cultural identity requires a consistent focus on the
objectivity as well as the appreciation that nurses might not always view or see things the same
way as other people do. In Australia, a nurse needs to understand that the people have a unique
connection to the land and cannot be compared with any other connection in Western society
(O’Rourke et al. 2018). It is normally easy to know why some of the Australians were referred to
as the ‘country’ which loosely translated to collectively include their storytelling technique,
water, air, and land. In the class session, our lecturer stated to us that Australians especially the
indigenous people believed that humans, culture and nature are all linked to a single relationship
with the country. In some western culture, the connection with the country is usually
incomparable, and there is no actual homeland or identification to the land (Renzaho, Dhingra &
Georgeou, 2017). Even though the Australian population’s respect for their country can be
admired, it is normally burdensome, that is, as moving via region entails leaving community and
identity behind as well as their original land. Therefore, a professional and registered nurse
working in Australia has to clearly understand the connection between land and health needs for
both the aboriginals and the non-indigenous people.
Culture is described as a common experience which is shared via language as well as
other symbols. In Australia, English is the national language while there are additional 200
languages spoken by over 200 diverse linguistic and cultural individuals they represent (Frew &
White, 2015). Language has been viewed as vital cultural expression and the main method of
people to understand, construct and share with the environment around them. A nurse working in
Australia must, thus, understand the diversity of languages in the country. There is a huge benefit
for a nurse that is either multilingual or bilingual, especially one that mirrors the demographic

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language attributes of the country. It is important for a nurse in the country to know how
education influences healthcare services for the community and individuals in the country.
Attainment of education is known to influence employment opportunities, the perception of
wellbeing and health as well as the lifestyle choices of individuals and communities. Due to the
diverse skill and knowledge level which exists in Australia, nurses when developing, delivering
and planning health education services and programs must take into consideration the
educational background, culture, age, and language of the targeted population (Shepherd et al.
2017). Operating with the intended service and resources recipients during the delivery,
development and planning stages promotes the effectiveness of the health outcomes and
information offered for all the population groups (Ravindran, Brentnall & Gilroy, 2017).
The philosophical, spiritual, and religious beliefs adopted by individuals and
communities influence the way they respond to vital life events like birth, dying, death and the
behaviours to maintain wellbeing and health. In Australia, there is diversity in the spiritual and
religious affiliations; that is, they comprise 19% Anglican, 27% Catholic and other Christian
denomination comprise of 19%. Buddhism comprises of 2.2%, Judaism 0.5%, Hinduism 0.8%
while the Islam 1.75 (Fedele, 2018). Therefore, diversity in religion has a huge implication for
the transfer, development, and planning of the leading healthcare services in the country. In
following and complying with the dictates of professional and ethical nursing practice and
competency principles for nurse, nurses are needed to show dignity for the values as well as
beliefs of social groups in their health care. Understanding of various social ceremonies and rites
and the acceptance of such ceremonies and rites is an quintessential of how a healthcare provider
like a nurse can show his or her respect for diverse lifeways, values and beliefs.

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Conclusion
One of the greatest problems faced by healthcare professionals and nurses is meeting the
healthcare needs of diverse groups in Australia. Nurses must effectively and appropriately
understand the cultural identity of every individual and community in the country. For instance,
nurses must fully understand the inequalities that have existed between the aboriginal and the
non-indigenous population. Thus, it is prudent that nurses understand how various cultural
beliefs of the all the population is linked to the provision of healthcare programs and services.
Connecting and associating cultural identity with the provision of healthcare services is key to
offering universal healthcare in the country. The final thoughts of the paper is that every nurse
working in a multicultural setting must clearly understand the context of the whole community.

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