Culturally Safe Healthcare: Addressing Cultural Diversity in Practice

This essay delves into the concept of culturally safe healthcare, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to healthcare services for all individuals, irrespective of their background or social status. It defines primary and universal healthcare, highlighting their significance in promoting wellness and financial protection. The essay explores the principles of primary healthcare, including accessibility, equity, and cultural sensitivity. It uses the example of Australia to illustrate challenges in healthcare access due to language barriers and discrimination. The author advocates for beneficence, compassion, and respect in healthcare provision, emphasizing the need for cultural sensitivity and health literacy. The essay concludes with a call to action for healthcare providers to partner with colleagues and advocate for social justice and global health initiatives, including research and curriculum changes to promote better healthcare worldwide.

CULTURALLY SAFE HEALTH CARE
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CULTURALLY SAFE HEALTH CARE
Primary health care refers to the wellbeing of an individual that is achieved by healing of
diseases and promotion of wellness in general. Primary health’s main goal is that everyone in a
community can access healthcare. It focuses on health care beyond the traditional practices and
advocates for healthcare that can be equally accessed to all individuals irrespective of their
gender, races or social class. Wellness occurs when the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of
an individual are met as they have an impact on health and wellbeing of that individual. Primary
healthcare and the health measures undertaken are important and promote the wellness of
individuals in society (Batalden and Davidoff, 2007).
The main principles of primary health care are accessibility, equity, promotion of health,
intersectoral collaboration, use of appropriate technology and community participation. In the
current century, public health care involves the provision of essential drugs, treatment of
common diseases and injuries, control of locally endemic diseases, immunization of major
infectious diseases, maternal and child health care, promotion of food supply and nutrition and
education on prevailing health problems and ways of controlling them. Generally, the health
services should be part of a community’s health system and must be effective besides being
promotive, preventive and curative (Black, 2013).
On the other hand, Universal healthcare policy refers to a system of healthcare that
provides financial protection and healthcare services to all citizens in a state or country. It’s
designed and organized in a manner that ensures that all citizens in each society benefit from
financial risk protection and easy access to improved health care services. Since there is an
assumption that every individual has access to the basic important healthcare, it might not be the

case as some individuals lack that access to equitable healthcare. For instance, in Australia there
is the challenge of diversity of ethnicities. There are different groups of people speaking in
different languages and other consider themselves superior than others. The elite ones who can
speak in English tend to discriminate the rest who cannot fluently speak in it. There are instances
whereby the language differences have also helped in promoting racism and discrimination in
various ways in the country. This group of people are therefore not able to access equitable
healthcare services due to discrimination, racism and health illiteracy as they cannot
communicate fluently in English. Therefore, through a universal healthcare policy people from
diverse backgrounds will benefit from quality and affordable healthcare services (Browne et al
2007).
I believe in simple acts of beneficence whereby the as a healthcare provider, I should be
compassionate and charitable, which is essential in the provision of healthcare services. This is
because a patients’ wellbeing is very crucial above anything else in the clinical practice. It is a
very integral part has it helps the health care provider to avoid any cases of injustice and
discrimination in the provision of the healthcare services. Since it is a moral obligation by any
individual in the clinical practice, it also leads to maintenance of professionalism hence one
works achievement of high standards and good work. A health care provider ought to uphold the
acts of beneficence through various ways such as having respect to everyone in their interactions,
be it be the patients, fellow workers or families of the patients. It is a core aspect when it comes
to making decisions concerning the patient and their wellbeing. It also helps uphold the core
principles of primary healthcare provision. Giving of respect helps to improve each other’s
esteem, essence, uniqueness, and honor of one’s wholeness. The simple acts of being
compassionate and showing kindness towards others help the health care providers to uphold

integrity and self-consciousness. These acts are important in the success of healthcare service
provision and the health service providers can exhibit them through respecting decisions made
by patients, engaging them in decision making concerning their wellbeing and communicating
with them effectively. They also help promote equitable health care service distribution as the
healthcare care for the welfare of the larger community that needs these services.
Health service providers should also be cultural sensitive in their interaction with diverse culture
and communities. Being cultural sensitive is essential in ensuring a proper relationship prevails
between the patient, the patient\s family, and the healthcare providers. Further, the provision of
primary healthcare involves provision of health services to local people or communities
worldwide. This means that the nurse must deal with cultural diversity and he/she should be able
to respect cultural group and have a positive attitude towards their health traditions. Cultural
knowledge is very essential to healthcare providers as it build trust between them and the
patients and attributes to respectful and meaningful exchanges. Nurses should also give culture
sensitive care in terms of ethical aspects of trust, respect and responsible relationships.
Communication variations are essentials to nurses that deal with diverse cultures because both
the verbal and non-verbal clues may inhibit communication and bring about misunderstandings.
Care that is culture sensitive is one that ensures equity in the provision of healthcare services is
uphold for instance a person can access these services despite their economic standards, physical
appearance and gender
As the health provider, I will partner with my coworkers and urge the government under
the ministry of health to provide health literary to these people besides engaging in health
promotion campaigns. As a good citizen, I could uphold my compassionate attributes and
advocates for social justice in healthcare provision worldwide (Rushton, 2007). This is because

nurses should join hands and campaign actively on the provision of better healthcare worldwide.
I will also raise awareness by partnering globally and collaborating on research on various
diseases to prevent the death rates due to lack of cures and help to bridge the gap between the
rich and the poor. I would also urge the government to add the aspect of social justice and
commitment to global health in their curriculum of nursing school (Lightfoot, et. al 2009).

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