Discussion
BRRY0503
BarrierstoFlexibleCommunicationandCulturallySensitiveCare.pptxBarriers to Flexible Communication and Culturally Sensitive Care
Barriers to Flexible Communication
Anxiety
Anything new can cause some level of anxiety.
Stereotypes
Positive or negative judgments about someone based on any observable or “believed” group membership.
Inflexible vs. Flexible Stereotyping
Think of a positive stereotype given to you
Think of a negative stereotype give to you
What were/are the effects of these judgments?
Barriers (continued)
Ethnocentrism
Judging another culture or way of doing things based on our culture.
Prejudice
Irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
Discrimination
Overt behavior that excludes or avoids people “belonging” to a particular group.
Health Scenario 1
A ten-year-old boy from a rural Mexican family was being treated for cancer of his distal femur. According to the boys’ father, his son’s cancer began when the boy was kicked by a child from a neighboring family with whom the father had been feuding. The father believed that his neighbors had cast an evil spell, causing a snake to invade his son and thus the child had developed an illness as a result of the kick. Because of the father’s beliefs that there was a supernatural cause for his son’s illness, he also believed that the evil spell would have to be removed before the boy could be cured.
Health Scenario 2
You are a health care provider in a well-respected clinic. One day you notice that one of your Vietnamese patients has bruise-like marks on her arms, legs, neck, and face. You are a culturally competent provider working in a clinic that serves a diverse population and understand the practices of cupping, spooning, and coining as alternative forms of treatment. Yet the laws of your state mandate that you report any suspicion of child abuse to Child Protective Services, which has the authority to remove children from their homes if they suspect abuse.
Health Scenario 3
A 27-year old Arab man refused to allow you (a male technician) to enter his wife's room to do an x-ray on her arm. The staff finally convinces the husband of the need, he reluctantly allowed you in the room. However, he took the precaution, of making sure his wife was completely covered. Only her arm stuck out from beneath the covers. He refuses to leave the room during the procedure. When the wife has questions, she asks them through her husband and has no direct eye contact with you.
Intercultural Do-Ables
Start with a clean slate. Monitor stereotypes…especially inflexible ones!
Practice cultural relativism: To truly understand someone, you need to take his/her culture into account.
Practice cognitive restructuring/reframing: methods which help people to think differently about a situation, event, thought, or belief.
Continue learning, reading, and gaining knowledge about those around you.
Remember: We are all works in progress!
Culturally Sensitive Model of Health Communication
Culturally sensitive = “the knowledge and interpersonal skills that allow providers to understand, appreciate, and work with individuals from cultures other than their own” (Geist-Martin).
Culturally Sensitive Model (always influenced by context and relationship)
Ideological Layer of Meaning (values and beliefs of a culture)
Sociopolitical Layer of Meaning (power in different social/political contexts)
Institutional Layer of Meaning (values and beliefs at the organizational level)
Cultural/Family Layer of Meaning (traditions, values, customs, rituals, etc.)
Personal Layer of Meaning (individual communication styles, roles, etc.)
