What Should The Nurse Recognize When Caring For Patients With Varied Cultural Backgrounds?

Affectionate the richness of cultural, religious, and indigenous backgrounds amidst older patients can assistance to promote good health care.

Hispanic man smiling at a doctor When you understand how different cultures view health care, you are better able to tailor questions and treatment plans to the patient's needs. Although you cannot become an adept in the norms and traditions of every culture, existence sensitive to full general differences can strengthen your human relationship with your patients.

Each culture has its own rules about body linguistic communication and interpretations of hand gestures. Some cultures signal with the unabridged hand, because pointing with a finger is extremely rude behavior. For some cultures, direct center contact is considered disrespectful. Until you are sure about a patient's background, you might opt for a conservative approach. And, if you aren't certain nigh a patient's preferences, enquire.

The use of alternative medicines, herbal treatments, and folk remedies is common in many cultures. Be sure to ask your patient if he or she takes vitamins, herbal treatments, dietary supplements or other culling or complementary medicines. Besides, in society to help build a trusting relationship, be respectful of native healers on whom your patient may as well rely.

Researchers need the participation of older people in their clinical trials so that scientists can acquire more about new drugs, therapies, medical devices, surgical procedures, or tests that may work for older people. It is of import for clinical trials to include diverse participants so the study results may take wider applicability.

Learn more about why clinical trials need older and diverse patients.

Using an Interpreter in Healthcare Settings

When working with patients who don't speak English language as a beginning language, be sure to ask which language they prefer to speak and if they can read English (if not, inquire which language they read).

Some older immigrants or not-native English speakers may need a medical interpreter. Federal policies require clinicians and healthcare providers who receive Federal funds, such every bit Medicare payments, to brand interpretive services available to people with limited English.

Many clinicians rely on patients' family members or on the ad hoc services of bilingual staff members, but experts strongly discourage this exercise and recommend the use of trained medical interpreters. Family members and office staff may be unable to interpret medical terminology, may inadvertently misinterpret information, or may discover it hard to relay bad news. Although a patient may choose to take a family member translate, the patient should be offered access to a professional interpreter.

A number of states have associations and foundations that tin help with locating, and in some cases provide funding for, medical interpreters. Some state Medicaid offices offer reimbursement for medical estimation services.

Whenever possible, offering patients appropriate translations of written cloth or refer them to bilingual resources. The National Found on Aging, for example, provides a number of resource in both English and Spanish, as well equally links to resource in other languages. If translations are not bachelor, ask the medical interpreter to translate medical documents.

Discussing Patient Values in Health Care

Consider starting an appointment with the post-obit question: "What are your goals for your care?" Although clinicians typically focus on diagnosing and treating disease, older people more often than not care almost nigh maintaining the quality of their lives. They are not necessarily preoccupied with decease. In fact, many older people are relatively accepting of the prospect of decease and desire to make the well-nigh of their remaining years. Younger family unit members, who might accept to make life-and-death decisions when an older person is incapacitated, may be unaware of the patient'south views and preferences. Information technology is important to acknowledge that these views may vary depending on the patient'southward cultural groundwork.

Attitudes on Aging May Vary

Ageism can work both means. Doctors can brand assumptions well-nigh their older patients. Older people may unwittingly assume the stereotypes of old age. Those with treatable symptoms may dismiss their bug as an inevitable part of aging and non get medical care. Equally a result, they may endure needless discomfort and inability. Some may non even seek treatment for serious weather.

The procedure of aging may be troubling for older adults. It can be especially hard for people who were generally healthy and could bounce dorsum quickly from an disease. Experts observe that babe boomers bring dissimilar expectations, experiences, and preferences to aging than did previous generations. For example, some boomers volition want to participate actively in their health care and work collaboratively with clinicians to decide what treatments might all-time work for them.

For More Data About Diverse Older Patients

This content is provided by the NIH National Institute on Aging (NIA). NIA scientists and other experts review this content to ensure it is authentic and up to date.

Content reviewed: May 17, 2017