Cultural Safety in Healthcare: A Personal Reflection Essay

This essay provides a reflection on cultural safety in healthcare, emphasizing its importance in empowering both healthcare practitioners and patients. It discusses the determinants of safe care as defined by the recipient and its evolution to meet the needs of diverse patients, aligning with the objectives of the Treaty of Waitangi. The essay explores the roles and responsibilities of various health professionals, including doctors, nurses, and therapists, in delivering culturally safe care. It also delves into the concept of Kawa whakaruruhau and its impact on nursing practices. Personal experiences, such as a doctor's visit and a travel incident, highlight the practical implications of cultural safety and the importance of ethical codes in healthcare. The essay concludes with recommendations for healthcare professionals to follow ethical guidelines and for individuals to be culturally aware to maintain optimal health.

Task 3:
Reflection

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Table of Contents
Part 1................................................................................................................................................2
Part 2................................................................................................................................................3
References........................................................................................................................................5

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Part 1
It is evaluated that in health care, safe cultural practice is a concept that involves
empowerment of the healthcare practitioner and the patient. The determinants step of “safe” care
are defined by the recipient of care. From time to time it has evolved to fulfill the needs
associated with the access and use of health care services for all clients or patients. I learn that
the primary purpose of this concept is to establish that nursing practice is congruent with the
objectives and aims of the Treaty of Waitangi (the founding document between Maori and the
Crown) to facilitates nursing of all patients and to remain regardful to all, that makes them
individual and unique (AJ, 2018). From the Treaty of Waitangi, I understood that all the health
professionals should improve the poor health status of the patients and to deliver culturally safe
care practice.
The role and responsibilities of health professionals about the Treaty of Waitangi within
health care are–
Doctors –The doctor can also help the patient’s family members by making them aware
regarding the patient’s illness that may affect them, and this should be done by following the
Treaty of Waitangi. This is good idea and it helps both patient and family members.
Nurses – The different types of nurses in the hospital can help the patents in the hospitals
by providing crucial support, some of them by providing physical care if needed, others may talk
about meditation if patient need (Woods, Rodgers, Towers & La Grow, 2015). The guidelines
aims and objectives of the Treaty of Waitangi should be followed appropriately to asset the
concerned patients with great care.
Therapists – they can help people to keep moving and function as well as they can.
Code of ethics NZMA for New Zealand Medical Profession –
 Priority will be the health and wellbeing of the patient.
 Patient's choice of rights, autonomy, and freedom must be respected.
 Ability to practice different medicines with moral integrity, compassion
and respect for human dignity and many more (Kaukonen, Bailey Suzuki, Pilcher &
Bellomo, 2014).

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 The patient’s fitness and wellness should be prioritized above all.
 Proper medication should be provided to the patient by analyzing his or
her issue.
 There should not be any misuse or wrong suggestions provided to the
patient for a shake of money.
The concept Kawa whakaruruhau arose in 1998 in Christchurch about retention issues
and recruitment of Maori nurses. In 1990 the council adapted to include cultural safety into its
curriculum assessment processes (Hossain et al., 2016). Cultural safety and nursing maintain the
quality of the relationship between patients and nurses which can influence health care processes
and outcomes because both of them aspire for the maintenance and sustenance of health. Another
feature is that it can take into account the worldview and life experience of a person receiving
care and support.
Part 2
The knowledge that I have gained from the concept of Cultural safety in a health
professional clinic center near my home revealed me its importance in everyday life. The
identification of cultural safety is considered to be crucial for the evaluation and growth of the
entire society. I visited with my mother in a doctor checkup clinic near my home due to my high
fever. At the time of my checkup, the doctor shows some red rashes on my mother's hand.
Instantly after showing the rashes, the doctor said to my home that the rashes in her hand are a
spread disease type rashes that can affect the family members of my home. The doctor not only
told my mother about the disease but also thoroughly checked my mother and prescribed some
medicines. The doctor critically evaluated the point that prevention is recognized as to be better
than cure and thus, advised each of us to have a complete safety. It is a matter of the fact that the
clarity, as well as the generality of the own cultural safety, remains contentious and thus, it I vital
to evaluate the desired need of practicing safety procedures (Denecke et al., 2015). As a
recommendation to, it is important to understand that social safety helps in promoting critical as
well as a whole perspective of the concerned culture. In future, the identification and evaluation
of the health along with the health inequities will help in keeping ourselves safe.
One of the other experience is that when I was traveling to my uncle's house which was
in a village having a group of diverse people. There was a long distance which was needed to be

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covered in 9 hours by train I was suffering from a headache and little pain in my stomach too for
keeping my stomach empty for seven continuous hours as I was busy in some of the important
works. Moreover, it was important for me that time to take medicine to get immediate relief and
that time I recognized the desired importance of safety. The practice of being culturally safe is
considered to be very important as it directly relates to the health of individual human beings.
Nurses are found to be concerned about how people from various cultural diverse backgrounds
experience the respective health care system (Young et al., 2015). Language ought to be one of
the issues that acted as the barrier in communicating regarding the exact problem of mine with
that of the respective nurses. I was suffering from pain and was not able to communicate in their
regional language to make them understand regarding the situation properly. In other words, the
pain was getting increased, and then I used gestures and spoke in my language, and finally the
doctor-assisted me with great care by providing proper medication and finally I was cured. As
for recommendations, it is important for me to evaluate the code of ethics of the healthcare
professionals and to be culturally aware regarding the different aspects of safety to keep the
health condition fit (Lovatt et al., 2015). On the other hand, it is vital for the health care
professionals to follow the rules as well as the code of ethics in medical professional in spite of
the cultures as this will facilitate the improvement of the entire society (Hamlin, Yule, Elliot,
Stoner & Kathiravel, 2016).

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References
AJ, G. (2018). A critical reflection on the concept of cultural safety. - PubMed -
NCBI . Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 20 November 2018, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22822692
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