1000-2 Using Sociological Theory to Understand Your Field

Sociology in nursing: A look from different perspectives

Name

Institution

Introduction

Health literacy is the acquisition and application of knowledge to daily practices for the improvement of the general health of an individual as well as the community. This influences the response to symptoms of illness, approach to treatment and preventive measures. While it may seem like common knowledge, the difference in the cultural and social background comes into play during the stated health literacy skills. Nurses are tasked with the provision of elementary care to culturally diverse communities and thus necessitating cultural competency.

Different concepts exist with regard to cultural composition and diversity in the community under evaluation. Singleton & Krause (2009) identify these to include: Magico-religious, biomedical and deterministic concepts. These concepts are always evolving with arising situations. Regular training on cultural competence is recommended as it is considered a threat to patients (Kaihlanen, Hietapakka & Heponiemi, 2019). This paper will look at nursing from different sociology perspectives to demonstrate the need for training.

Health literacy from sociological perspectives

Functionalist perspective

Health concepts are shared among a group of people sharing in other aspects of life as well. This is a source of continuity in identity recognized from doing things in a certain way. This is well demonstrated in Mayhew (2018), where an initial visit to a health facility, the nurse provides treatment options, which is met by indecisiveness, which turns around on the second visit following consultation with family members on the best course of action (Mayhew, 2018) for the ailing family member. The consultation gives the young mother confidence and a sense of unity in the family due to their collectivist approach. The institution of marriage is revered as well as nursing, as the mother takes time to understand all that pertains to the provided options.

Conflict perspective

Cultural diversity presents different approaches to decision making on health issues. Despite expert knowledge, a nurse must operate under ethical codes by respecting the patient's autonomy. This means that the decision reached, and failure thereof, must be upheld. For instance, a magico- religious culture may bar ailing members from procuring blood transfusions, even though their condition may only be helped by one. A nurse, while offering this option to them, can only do so much but respect this culture.

Conflict may also arise when actions taken in an emergency situation, maybe in opposition to patient beliefs, such as first aid to the opposite sex.

Symbolic interactionism perspective

This perspective demonstrates the difference in dialects and jargon used by different societies. Nursing uses professional language and jargon, which patients may not decipher. Equally, nurses are faced by diverse symbolic interactionism from the people they encounter. This makes nurse practice a field for diversity, placing a nurse at the expense of maintaining an open mind. This has been an issue of concern not only for nursing but cuts across health practitioners. A professional could never possibly be conversant with the diversity they encounter (Hart & Mareno, 2013).

Conclusion

Nursing as a profession despite being based on its own practice guidelines, concepts and principles, is co-dependent with other disciplines such as sociology. It is through sociology principle, as described above that nurses are able to interact with the community, hence facilitating the application of nursing principles. However, the nature of sociology concepts can be conflicting, making it difficult for definite incorporation into nursing principles. This reveals a need for regular training pon cultural competency and other sociology related issues for optimum service.

References

Hart, P.L., Mareno, N. Cultural challenges and barriers through the voices of nurses Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23, 2223–2233, doi: 10.1111/jocn.12500

Kaihlanen, A.M., Hietapakka, L., Heponiemi, T. Increasing cultural awareness: qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC Nursing volume 18, Article number: 38 (2019)

Singleton, K., Krause, E., (Sept. 30, 2009) "Understanding Cultural and Linguistic Barriers to Health Literacy" OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. 14, No. 3, Manuscript 4.