Cultural Barriers to Health Care - Essay Example

Cultural Barriers to Health Care 13-Sep-16 Social and cultural beliefs refer to the pattern of ideas, behaviors and customs shares by people of a particular community or society. These behaviors identify the members of that particular society and distinguish them from other groups. Different cultures may be distinguished by various factors including ethnicity, languages, religion, gender, geographic origin, education levels, life experiences and social economic class among others (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). Different cultural beliefs in societies are some of the biggest barriers to the provision of healthcare. The cultural beliefs are determined by the society’s view on health and wellness, religion, medication, sexuality and childbirth as well as food beliefs and diet. For instance other cultures do not believe in medication or hospitalization instead they believe in traditional medication such as use of herbs to cure diseases. Others believe that illness comes as a result of a supernatural phenomena whereas believe that illnesses can only be cured through spiritual intervention. Study shows that societies with minimal formal education especially in third world countries are affected since they do not have a vivid comprehension of how the body works (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). These social cultural forces have a major effect on the access to healthcare in different societies especially in children and women in developing countries. All cultures have systems of health beliefs that explain illnesses, their causes, diagnosis, how they can be treated or cured and who should be involved in the treatment process (Andrulis & Brach, 2007). Cultures therefore determine the patience compliance to diagnosis and medication processes which as a result affects the overall wellness of that society. An example of such cultures is those from certain sub populations in India and Pakistan where the societies there are reluctant to accept diagnosis of severe emotional and mental illnesses because they believe that it reduces the chances of other members of the family of getting married (Silva, 1994). Similarly, in the Vietnamese culture mental and physical illnesses are explained as a harmonious balance between poles of hot and cold that govern the functions of the body. As a result the Vietnamese do not readily accept modern mental treatment of counseling especially where self disclosure is practices. The Russian immigrants also view the western medical care with a lot of mistrust since they do not believe in disclosure of personal information to other people (Silva, 1994). As a result, the Russian patients find it difficult to openly disclose personal information and medical concerns to physicians or to question the physicians. The patients therefore expect the situations where the physicians do not ask anything from them but tell them what to do. This could be a hindrance to healthcare delivery since the patients are not willing to disclose their medical concerns and it could lead to wrong diagnosis or poor medication (Chang & Kelly, 2007). For instance if the patient fails to disclose to the physician that they suffer certain allergies, it would be problematic for the physician to identify what illness they are suffering from. Children and women in such a society would be widely affected because their parents fail to express their medical conditions to medical practitioners causing the child to suffer for a long time before the condition is diagnosed (Chang & Kelly, 2007). It is important for nurses and other medical practitioners to be aware of the beliefs and practices of certain societies while providing medical attention. In some Asian and pacific island cultures, the oldest male member of the family acts as the spokesman and the decision maker of the family (Silva, 1994). All decisions in the family must be made by him otherwise one would receive punishment. Similarly, family members have to consult with the spokesman before seeking medical attention. The old members are respected and their decisions must not be questioned therefore the recommendations of the healthcare professionals are avoided. It’s the duty of the eldest male member to decide whether the healthcare recommendations are to be followed. Amongst the Chinese, patients suffering from mental or emotional illnesses reflect lack of self control and it could bring shame and guilt to the family. As a result the Chinese patients could be reluctant to disclose any signs of mental illness or depression to the physicians (Coyne, Demian-Popescu & Friend, 2006). In the Hispanic culture, different subgroup populations have different beliefs and customs. Similar to the Asian and pacific island cultures, the older family members are often consulted on matters related to healthcare and illnesses (Silva, 1994). These old family members rarely have the expertise in healthcare provision thus they are most likely to make wrong decisions or administer wrong medication leading to misdiagnosis (Chang & Kelly, 2007). The Hispanic also view illnesses as Gods will or divine punishment from God resulting from sinful behaviors. For this reason Hispanic patients prefer consulting traditional folk healers or use other home remedies. This therefore acts as a barrier to healthcare as it would be difficult to convince these patients that modern and western medication is more preferable than the traditional methods (Coyne, Demian-Popescu & Friend, 2006). Infants would be severely affected by such cultural beliefs since their parents do not follow the medical recommendations such as taking them for vaccination causing major risks. Additionally, the traditional methods of medications rarely have the cure or prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes or cancer; instead they are seen as a curse or Gods punishment (Chang & Kelly, 2007). Many native African American cultures are also widely affected by cultures as there are key family members who play an vital role in the family system; for instance they have to be consulted for any important health related decisions made in the family. In this culture, illnesses are viewed as an imbalance between the patient and supernatural forces while the state of health signifies that the person lives in harmony with supernatural powers. The native African Americans use medicine men (Coyne, Demian-Popescu & Friend, 2006). This is an indication that different cultures have different values related to healthcare systems. These factors therefore act as barriers to modern healthcare provision as it’s hard to convince the native patients that modern medication is preferable over the traditional methods (Coyne, Demian-Popescu & Friend, 2006). Unfortunately most medical practitioners expect that the patients will easily conform to their values which could take a very long time. These expectations have frequently increased the barriers that occur in provision of healthcare. One of the most key factors that could deliver a solution in reducing the imbalance in provision of healthcare is education. Patients should be made aware of the significance of modern healthcare as well as its advantages over the traditional methods. Formal education is also important as its helps the patients understand how their bodies function and they are cognizant of the actions they should take to take care of their bodies such as diet and medication (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). Formal education also helps them understand the causes of different illnesses, their symptoms and how they can be prevented. Besides formal education, the patients need to be taught health education on different aspects of their bodies such as sexuality and reproduction among others (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). Formal education often contradicts these cultures thus it could take a longer time before completely stop all the cultural barriers to healthcare. Medical practitioners also have a vital role to play in stopping these cultural barriers. They must have a clear understanding of the beliefs of the society as well as their behaviors in relation to health and illnesses (Andrulis & Brach, 2007). For instance it’s important for a nurse to understand how a society perceives certain medical conditions such as cancer or mental illness. This will help the nurse to understand how well they should disclose the news to the patient. Additionally, by understanding the cultural differences in the society, the nurse will be able to explain to the patient how they should manage the condition without being stigmatized by the society (Chang & Kelly, 2007). Communication between the patients and the medical practitioner is also a key factor in ending the barrier in healthcare provision. Nurses and physicians should be able to study the attitudes of their patients and know how well they can convince them to understand the cause, diagnosis, prevention and medication of an illness (Andrulis & Brach, 2007).. They should also have the social skills to convince the patients to disclose their personal health information to them. This would help prevent misdiagnosis and promote administration of the proper medication for that condition. In addition the patients should be educated on modern self care practices especially for chronic illnesses so as to stop the cultural barriers (Andrulis & Brach, 2007). List of references Driscoll, A., & Nagel, N. (2008). Early Childhood Education: Birth - 8: The World of Children, Families, and Educators. London: Pearson. Andrulis, D., & Brach, C. (2007). Integrating literacy, culture, and language to improve health care quality for diverse populations, American Journal of Health Behavior. Retrieved on from www.cpehn.org/pdfs/Integrating%20Literace%20Paper%20-%20Andrulis.pdf Chang, M, & Kelly, A. (2007). Patient education: Addressing cultural diversity and health literacy issues. Urologic Nursing. Retrieved from www.medscape.com/viewarticle/564667 Coyne, C.A., Demian-Popescu, C., & Friend, D. (2006). Social and cultural factors influencing health in southern West Virginia: A qualitative study. Retrieved from  www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/oct/06_0030.htm Silva, M.C. (1994). The ethics of cultural diversity and culturally competent nursing education, practice, and research. Nursing Connections, 52-56. Read More