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Post a response with at least 2 paragraphs and 2 sources to a colleague who was assigned a different patient than you. Critique your colleague’s targeted questions, and explain how the patient might interpret these questions. Explain whether any of the questions would apply to your patient, and why.
POST:
I remember taking a class in my undergrad years that focused specifically about the different cultural factors of different populations. Asian Americans culture typically are a family-oriented population and they have a lot of holistic practices when it comes to medication therapy, lifestyle choices, and spirituality. Asian American have a belief that the body and mind are connected and that when one is not balanced, the other one suffers. As a NP, it is imperative that this information guides the interviewing process to get the most comprehensive and effective health assessment. According to Ball, Dains, Flynn, et.al., (2019),” the adaptability and combined genuine curiosity about the individual’s beliefs and values can be the foundation of a trusting patient-provider relationship (22).” A NP should be culturally competent and be able to consider the individual’s specific background and cultural traits, without injecting their own personal opinions, biases, and stereotypes.
Case Study:
The case study consists of an 86-year-old Asian American gentleman with a PMH of HTN, GERD, B12 deficiency and chronic prostatitis. He currently takes Lisinopril 10mg, Prilosec 20mg and Cipro 100mg daily and has a monthly B12 injection. He depends on his daughter for all of his daughter, even though she is a single parent. But states that he doesn’t want to “be a burden to my daughter.”
As mentioned in the article by Lynch (2019),” an effective communication relationship comes from the awareness of how the values of this individual’s cultural background differs from those of the provider’s or Western culture, in general.” Asian American is a population consisting of multiple subgroups and different distinctions, so as a NP, it is important to distinguish these characteristics in order to formulate and cultivate a positive encounter that yields the best results for the patient and their families. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015),” being culturally competent means learning new patterns of behaviors and applying them appropriately.” As previously mentioned, this population of people consider family as most important and consider their diagnoses and a “family diagnosis.” Asian Americans typically think in the “high context” and every word takes the literally meaning. As a NP, words should be chosen accordingly and information provide to the family and patient as a direct explanation. Be sensitive in your approach and whenever possible, adjust your questions to include the family’s perspective because they will more likely be the primary caregivers. Ask open-ended questions and check for clarity of understanding from the individual and the family. Also, understand body language, personal space and eye-contact are relatively different in this culture and hold a totally different meaning.
5 targeted questions:
How are your medications administered and do you have a set schedule?
How much do you know about the medication you are receiving?
Considering that you have your daughter as a primary caregiver, are there others within the family or community available to help?
How do you feel about available resources on the outside, that could come and care for him while you are working?
How do you currently feel about the health of your body? How can I help you achieve balance?
According to Dains, Baumann, & Scheibel (2019),” the benefits of improving the quality of care, increasing positive outcomes and reducing health care costs is based on an evidence-based service.” Making sure that all the questions and the full assessment are completed in the presence and guidance of the family can minimize the number of trips and burden on the family. Minimize and simplify as much as possible when providing education about health, nutrition and some lifestyle changes. Adjusting and becoming aware of cultural diversity, makes for an effective NP and ultimately provides the best assessment and health outcome for the patient.
Reference:
Ball, J.W., Dains, J.E., Flynn, J.A., Solomon, B.S., & Stewart, R.W. (2019). Seidel’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Cultural competence. Retrieved from http://npin.cdc.gov/pages/cultural-competence
Dains, J.E., Baumann, L.C., & Scheibel, P. (2019). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (6thed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby
Lynch, K. (2019). Tips for Healthcare Communication with Asian-American Audiences. MTM LinguaSoft: Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from https://www.mtmlinguasoft.com/tips-for-healthcare-communication-with-asian-american-audiences