NUR 464February 23, 2004University of PhoenixAccording to recent Census information, the number of Mexican Americans is on the rise in the United States. Given this information, it is the duty of health care professionals to become culturally competent in the values and beliefs that affect the health and well-being of Mexican Americans (Zoucha, 2000). It is also necessary to understand the significance their culture plays in the treatment of health issues in order to enhance the effectiveness of care and improve treatment outcomes. Not meeting the health care needs and preferences of culturally and diverse populations can increase delays in clients seeking care, create obstacles for the nurse, make it difficult to obtain information, cause problems in making an appropriate diagnosis and developing treatment plans, and cause ineffective communication between the client and the healthcare provider (Lancaster, 2004). Certain guidelines should be followed by the nurse in order to establish a good assessment.
The American student nurse Miss Lydia Monroe of Ri...
Maria Valtorta, italian religious writer, mystic, ...
A U.S. Navy recruiting poster from World War II, s...The assessment should be family focused, considerate of values and traditions, understanding of educational level and socioeconomic status, overcome language barriers, and take into consideration of the client's interpretation of the health problem and prognosis. Organizational factors within the culture, coping patterns and strategies, and culturally sensitive interventions also need to be assessed to provide the client with appropriate care.
The scenario to be looked at is a 22-year-old Hispanic woman who is native to Mexico, Olivia Garcia, has 12 years of schooling and does not speak English. She is married to Gilberto, a 29-year-old Initiating Hospice Care food service worker with a degree from a Mexican university. Gilberto previously worked in Mexico as a tax auditor. He speaks some English. The couple is legal immigrants living in the United States, living with their extended family of 12 members in a two-bedroom dwelling.
During Olivia's first pregnancy,