Nursing Assignment: Cultural Competence, Communication & Ethical Care

This nursing assignment delves into various aspects of cultural competence in healthcare, addressing questions related to understanding Aboriginal patients, religious beliefs impacting treatment (such as an Egyptian Muslim patient's reaction to medication), and the Closing the Gap initiatives set by COAG to address Indigenous disadvantage. It discusses the Jehovah's Witnesses' refusal of blood transfusions based on religious grounds and examines ethnocentrism among nurses and its impact on cultural safety. Effective communication strategies for interacting with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds are outlined, emphasizing clear language, non-verbal cues, and the use of interpreters. The assignment also weighs the advantages and disadvantages of treating all individuals the same in nursing, highlighting ethical dilemmas like the use of restraints, and underscores the importance of awareness, acceptance, and inquiry in meeting the cultural needs of patients to foster a culturally safe and empowering environment.

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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Question:-
1. In order to understand whether the aboriginal people has understood us it is necessary to
understand the facial expression of the Torres Strait Islanders. Counter questioning in simple
languages can be useful in evaluating their knowledge. Simple sign languages can be used to
communicate with the aboriginals. In case they have understood us, they will show the
expression of apprehension. In case of language difficulties interpreters can be used.
2. According to Sunan Abi Dawood (33), it has been narrated that the right hand of a human
being is considered for the purification and food and left hand was used for using the toilet and
anything that was not pure (Bernheimer and Rippin, 2013). The Egyptian Muslim patient might
have been a core follower of the commandments of Allah or the beliefs of his religion and found
the Tylenol held by the left hand of the nurse to be something impure or dirty and should not be
touched. It seems that the patient was superstitious although the gesture can be a bit harsh in part
of the patient.
3. The 6 (six) targets set by the COAG in relation to Indigenous disadvantage were
(Meteor.aihw.gov.au, 2018) :-
1. Closure of the life expectancy gap by 2011 within a generation.
2. Minimizing the gap in the mortality rates to half, for the aboriginal children under five years,
by 2018.
3. Ensuring that 75 % of Indigenous children within four years old are registered in early
childhood education by the end of 2025.
4. Reducing the gap to half for the indigenous students in relation to reading, writing and
numeracy within 2018.

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5. Reducing the gap to half by 2020, for the aboriginal individuals within the age group 20-24
years in year 12 attainment or equivalent attainments rates.
6. Reducing the gap in the employment opportunities for both the indigenous youth and the non-
indigenous youth by 2018.
7. Closing the gap between the aboriginal and the non-aboriginal school attendance by the end of
2018.
4. Blood transfusion can be refused by the Jehovah's witnesses, as they believe that life is a gift
from god, which should not be sustained by taking in blood. The interpretation of Genesis 9:4
Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28, 29, says that the Jehovah's witnesses should
abstain from blood (Gupta et al. 2013).
5. The nurses are expressing ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the view point that one’s own
culture is better than anyone else’s culture. Ethnocentrism can act as barrier to effective health
care as this concept is against the concept of cultural safety (Arnold and Boggs 2015). Cultural
safety is always considered as the core concept of nursing which defines the acceptance of other
culture.
6. Communication strategies for communicating with people from different cultural
background
 Speaking slowly but clearly.
 Use of simple languages and use of different choice of words to express the single
concept.

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 Refrain from using any kind of medical jargon. Simple signs and gestures can be used to
communicate (Piller 2017).
 Language interpreters can be used.
 Providing a non-hostile environment for the patients for allowing them to open up.
 Proper response to the emotions and the grievances (Arnold and Boggs 2015).
 Using facial expressions as the nonverbal communication to understand the grievances of
the patient (Piller 2017).
 Maintaining the dignity and the integrity of the patient.
7. (A) Advantages of treating all the individuals same in nursing:-
 It provides mental and spiritual support to the patient where the patient can think that
there is somebody to care, which in turn fosters wellbeing of the patient.
 It helps to maintain the integrity and the dignity of the patient and improves the quality of
life.
 Absence of any health care disparities let every section of the society to get equal care.
Disadvantages
In many cases, especially the mental health patients, the nurses have to apply restraints for the
safety of the patient as well as the safety of the other patients or the health care staffs. There may
arise an ethical dilemma regarding the application of the restraints on the patient as per the
nursing ethics but it should be remembered that putting restraints may be for the greater good of
the patient or the common good of the hospital settings.

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(B) In order to meet the cultural needs of the individuals it is necessary to incorporate the
following practices:-
Awareness- It is necessary to develop the cross cultural awareness and the communication skills.
It is necessary to be aware of the own culture and the belief before providing care to others or to
avoid any personal biases (Gerlach 2012).
Acceptance- Acceptance is a powerful tool in providing care to patients from diversified cultural
background. Cultural safety in nursing can be referred to as the acceptance of diverse cultures in
order to provide an environment that is socially, spiritually and emotionally empowering for the
patient (Gerlach 2012)..
Asking-It is not that the nurses have to remain culturally aware all the time hence the best way if
providing a sensitive care to the patient is to ask , such as during the initial assessment a
caregiver might ask whether there is any religious belief that is required to be informed for
supporting their needs.

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References
Arnold, E.C. and Boggs, K.U., 2015. Interpersonal Relationships-E-Book: Professional
Communication Skills for Nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Bernheimer, T. and Rippin, A., 2013. Muslims: their religious beliefs and practices. Routledge.
Gerlach, A.J., 2012. A critical reflection on the concept of cultural safety. Canadian Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 79(3), pp.151-158.
Gupta, S., Onwude, J., Stasi, R. and Manyonda, I., 2012. Refusal of blood transfusion by
Jehovah’s Witness women: a survey of current management in obstetric and gynaecological
practice in the UK. Blood Transfusion, 10(4), p.462.
Meteor.aihw.gov.au. (2018). National Indigenous Reform Agreement (2017). [online] Available
at: http://meteor.aihw.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/645344 [Accessed 3 Jun. 2018].
Piller, I., 2017. Intercultural communication: A critical introduction. Edinburgh University
Press.

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