Hispanic Culture 's Influence On Health Patterns And Behaviors Exhibited By The Community Essay

The United States is a nation of immigrants; they have virtually every culture of the world within its borders. Due to this reason, there must be a certain level of cultural competency within its people. A comparison and contrast will be made to compare the Hispanic cultural views on medical care to the American cultural views toward medical care. I chose to explore Hispanic culture because of my background but most importantly due to its richness of unique characteristics. I will provide an overview on how heredity, culture, and environment can influence behavior in the medical office. Furthermore, I will express my opinion about why a medical assistant,

It is well known that the United States is made up of several different cultures and the health care system delivers care to a very diverse population. However, depending on ones culture-receiving care may be a challenge at times. In this paper we are going to take a closer look at the culture of Hispanic Americans. The Hispanic population has grown to over 55 million residents with in the United States in 2015, with an estimated growth rate of 2.1% per year (Krogstad & Lopez, 2015). Making this minority group on of the fastest growing populations within the United States (DeNisco & Barker, 2016).

In 1988 Giger and Davidhizar created their Transcultural Assessment Model (TAM) to facilitate “…the discovery of culturally sensitive facts… (and) provide culturally appropriate and competent care.” (Giger & Davidhizar, 2002) The TAM was developed for an undergraduate nursing curriculum to train students to assess and provide care for patients that are culturally diverse. This paper will employ the six cultural phenomena defined by TAM to assist in identifying cultural attributes of Mexican Americans that should be considered by nurses in assessment and care.

In this discussion, a Hispanic or Latino group is considered. While the statistic is not available for the city of Cleveland, in Ohio this group represents a 3.7% of the total population as of July 1, 2016 (USCB, 2018). The Hispanic/Latino group represents people from Cuba, Latin America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Caribbean and other Spanish cultures, regardless of race (Juckett, 2013). While a treatment plan in hospitals is the same for all the patients, the perception varies in different ethnic groups or races. Thus, a health care provider need to be aware of Hispanic/Latino cultural beliefs and implement this knowledge into a daily routine.

With the increasing immigrant population a third barrier affecting access to health care is a cultural barrier. Culture barriers can include values and beliefs, language and race and ethnicity. Health beliefs and behavior can become a barrier when patients decide not to seek medical treatment and instead turn to home remedies and healers when treating illnesses. Approximately 10% of Americans speak a language other than English and can be classified ad being limited in their proficiency. For these patients language becomes a barrier and they are less likely to receive optimal medical treatment (Flores, 2006). Horton and Johnson (2010) stress the importance of communication in reducing disparities and increasing the trust of patients in the health care system. As reported by the American College of Physicians, evidence reveals that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to receive inferior care when compared with non-minorities. This occurs even when minorities have access to insurance and adequate income (Racial and ethnic disparities in health care, 2010).

The term culture is defined as “the thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups” (Potter & Perry, 2013). With the increase of culturally diverse populations in the United States, it is important for nurses to practice cultural competence. Cultural competence is the ability to acquire specific behaviors, skills, attitudes, and policies in a system that permits “effective work in a cross-cultural setting” (OMH, 2013). Being culturally competent is essential because nurses who acknowledges and respects a patient’s health beliefs and practices are more likely to have positive health outcomes (OMH, 2012). Every culture has certain views and attitudes concerning

By 2011, nearly one person out of every six living in the United States will be of Hispanic/Latino origin (Selig Center Multicultural Economy Report, 2006).

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States, and the majority of them are Mexican in origin (Kemp, 2001). The Roman Catholic Church plays a vital role in the culture and daily life of many Mexican Americans. Consequently, healthcare personnel must become culturally competent in dealing with the different beliefs possessed by these individuals. Nurses must have the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver care that is congruent with the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices (Kearney-Nunnery, 2010). The ways that a nurse cares for a Mexican American patient during the process of dying or at the critical time of death is especially important. The purpose of this paper is to examine

In the qualitative study authored by Britigan et al, the independent variable is the ethnicity of the subject with a specific focus on a Latino sample population. The dependent variable in the study was the acculturation of interview subjects. Subordinate dependent variables included the health information sources used by Latinos in southwest

This research is being submitted on September 16, 2010, for Vicky Philips English class at Rasmussen College by Carl Hooks

Economy: The Yuma economy is dependent on three major drivers: agriculture, tourism, and military presence and associated contractors (G.W., personal communication, November 8, 2016). The presence of these industries is the Yuma economy’s greatest strength. However, the economy is not without challenges. In 2014, Yuma’s per capita income was $20,661 compared to the state and national average of $25,537 and $28,555 respectively (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Yuma has experienced modest economic growth this decade, reflected in increased income and rising home values, but still faces many economic challenges (G.W., personal communication, November 8, 2016). The familial poverty rate for Yuma is 14.37% compared to the national average of 11.47%

I chose this article because I find it interesting and of great help to any nursing and health care professional; I am Hispanic myself and constantly looking for better ways to help my community. I personally see my grandmother struggling whenever she needs to see her physician, as she sometimes does not understand what him and his staff are telling her. On another note nursing is an ever changing career and the Hispanic culture is growing at an enormous rate, becoming culturally competent does not only provide the patient with good care but can make the nurses’ job easier and more rewarding. I do feel that there should be more research on this subject; the best way to learn about a patient’s cultural beliefs is to ask the patient. I think that the population that the author intended to target is health care professionals; however, I know that any immigrant can benefit from reading this article.

Knowing that can lead to a better and more effective diagnosis and treatment. Doctors need to be knowledgeable when attending to the Latino population and inquire about other types of medical treatment that is appropriate to their culture. Not only does the language barrier interfere with proper care, but also many patients do not mention other forms of treatment they use to the doctors because they feel that they will ridicule them. An approach healthcare staff can acquire to benefit both parties is the knowledge and training on Hispanic traditional medicine.

The Giger and DavidHizar Transcultural Model, is a model used in healthcare to establish how care is provided and what to consider when implementing care. It is devised of communication, space, social organization, time, environmental control, and biological variations. Each aspect is discussed in depth, giving relevance in a specific culture; Hispanics. Within the culture title of Hispanics, we expand further to specifically discuss family and children in relation to this model.

Healthcare in the United States of America is an ever increasing field of diversity. Many healthcare workers are uneducated in diversity, resulting in insufficient patient care. As a result patients from different backgrounds do not receive proper treatment, and refuse to seek medical attention, or are over charged for simple procedures. Educating healthcare workers is the key to decreasing unnecessary physician visits as well as providing patients with the sense of understanding and respect regarding their health decisions. The preceding information will provide a brief overview of Leinigner’s Model of Culture Care Theory, Leinigner’s theory applied to the Colombian Culture for medical professionals, feelings about access to health care, barriers in healthcare, alternative medicine and food preferences.