Pakeh Appropriate Body Language

According to Julia It is very important to be able to recognise what a persons body language is saying especially as a Health and Social care practitioner as incorrect interpretation of communication can lead to miscommunication.

Successful Patient-Doctor Relationships with the Arab Culture Many people have seen the increase of immigrants coming to the United States. “Census 2000 measured a U.S. population of 281.4 million, including 1.2 million who reported and Arab ancestry” (de la Cruz and Brittingham, 2000). Arab Americans are those people who speak or are descendents of Arabic-speaking populations. As doctors and caregivers continue to provide care to those that speak English, communication between them is easy. But when this simple task is changed when there is a patient from a different culture, it produces challenges that both parties have to overcome. Doctors and caregivers have to increase their cultural awareness and sensitivity so that there is a good

A beneficial way of avoiding this is the use of verbal encouragers. According to Hazelwood & Shakespear-Finch (2011) “Hhmm”, “Aahh”, “Right”, “Oohh”, “Okay”, “Aha” or “Mmhm” are just some of the short phrases or words a practitioner may say to confirm they are listening to their client. With the occasional use of these verbal encouragers, it sidesteps any unnecessary confusion that may hinder the client practitioner relationship. Non-verbal encouragers can also make it easier for people to speak. Simple eye contact, nods, smiles and facial expressions can leave people feeling relaxed and more willing you talk (Dawn, 2002). In situations where there are cultural differences verbal and non-verbal encouragers are not as positive. Take for example a client who is an Aboriginal Elder and the practitioner who is a young Caucasian Social Worker that was unaware of Aboriginal cultural protocols and etiquette. In Western culture it is respectful and a sign of active listening to look a person in the eye the whole time you are conversing with them. However for Aboriginals it is complete reverse, when you don’t look straight into an Aboriginal person’s eyes you are showing them that you respect them. Situations such as these can make both parties feel uncomfortable (Laguerre, Shanahan, & Ferguson, 2014).

(Leininger, 1978). When culturally competent nurses interact with other cultures, they observe how members of the culture communicate, watching for verbal and non-verbal cues. Eye contact is important to identify. For some cultures direct eye contact is not polite. Touch for some cultures is prohibited. If needed, nurses should explain the reason for touching the patient before proceeding. In some cultures males cannot be caregivers of females. Silence doesn’t always mean miscommunication or patient apathy. For some cultures is a positive non-verbal cue or a sign of respect or agreement. Space and distance is very important when providing care. Patients can place themselves close or far from the nurse based on their culture. Healthcare beliefs also vary from cultures. Some cultures are compliant with cares while others may not be very cooperative. Based on these observations, nurses can plan their plan of care based on the patient’s needs (Maier-Lorentz, 2008 Journal Of Cultural Diversity). Nurses also need to observe pain non-verbal cues, food preferences, family arrangements and general norms and interactions.

How to Approach an Arab patient It is important to approach the patient in the appropriate manner to prevent jeopardizing the nurse-patient relationship. The first step a nurse should take is to eliminate any communication barriers. Most Arabs can speak fluent English, but it may be necessary in some cases to facilitate an Arabic interpreter. The nurse should then document the interpreter as an intervention in the patient’s chart (Khalifa, 2012). In the case of the patient not speaking fluent English, the nurse should be aware of nonverbal cues and implement strategies to successfully

Health care providers need to be culturally competent and aware of the assumptions that their own culture makes in order to effectively provide health care services with cultural sensitivity. What we deem appropriate, may cause extreme discomfort for some and we often make these assumptions unknowingly. Effective and culturally appropriate communication is the first step in achieving equity of access to health care. Non-verbal cues such as hand gestures, eye contact, smiling and other mannerisms differ between cultures and often affect how successful your health care interaction will be. (Fanany, R. 2012, p.232)

Sometimes, some people are not able to communicate verbally, may be due to lack of confidence or they don’t know the language. That is why it is very important to observe their facial and body reaction so that any problems could be identified and dealt with. It is also important to observe an individual’s reaction in order to make sure the information has been understood so that you know whether you need to adjust your communication methods. You can also recognise any communication barriers such as language

Then, I touched her shoulder, kept saying, and raise my tone a bit because I was afraid if she had a hearing trouble. I was reassuring her she will be fine. In the meantime, I was thinking whether the English language was not her mother tongue but I kept myself communicate verbally with her including using my body gesturers and facial expression. Body gesturers and facial expressions are referred as a non-verbal communication (Funnell et al, 2005, p.443). I thought of the language barrier that breaks our verbal communication. Castledine (2002, p.923) mention that the language barrier arises when there are individuals comes from a different social background use their own slang or phrases in the conversations. Luckily, those particular body gesturers could make her understand that I was going to assess her. During the assessment I maintained the eye contact as I do not want her to feel shy. This is supported by Caris-Verhallen et al (1999) which mentioned that the direct of eye contact could express a sense of interest in the person to the other person involves in that communication. As a result, she gave a good cooperation and was very happy for the assessment until finished.

People from parts of India shake their head from side to side to show agreement instead of nodding like Americans do. In some Australian Aboriginal cultures, looking an elder or person of higher rank than you in the eye is considered disrespectful. It's important to research cultural differences in body language prior to visiting or interacting with someone of a different culture.

in health and social care setting non-threatening use of body language is a non- verbal communication because it sends message to another person without any threat. non- threatening use of body highlights how someone is feeling or what they are thinking about.you might use non-threatning use of body if your

First of all, I was curious about the Middle East Man reaction when you were trying to shake his hands. I was wondering if he was acceptable and respectable of your own values as you respected his. I find it daunting and difficult to communicate or to get my messages through when my patients do not even recognize the existence of culture.   

Burmese are usually extremely polite and modest, and they often do not express their feelings. This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings between healthcare providers and Burmese patients. There may be some language barriers, so doctors and nurses should get an interpreter. Body language is very important to the Burmese. Pointing a finger at someone is considered very rude, as is sitting higher than an elder. These are only the basics of the Burmese culture; there are many more things that healthcare providers should know about this ethnic group (Background, 2016).

A patient’s culture background influences their behavior. But it is important for the nurse to keep in mind that not all patients from the same culture have the same values and beliefs. A nurse has to be aware of the patient’s cultural background and respect it. If a nurse stereotypes patient they may consider the nurse as insensitive and incompetent. Different patients perceive a nurse’s actions differently. For one patient, a nurse sitting close to them may perceive it as caring and warmth; another may perceive it as an invasion of their personal space. Asian, American Indian, Arab patients perceive eye contact as a sign of disrespect and they stare at something else when the nurse is talking to them. A nurse should be culturally aware of

An understanding of important characteristic of American Indian communication is especially helpful for healthcare workers who wish to build a mutually fulfilling relationship with American Indian clients. Healthcare workers must understand the significance of nonverbal communication. American Indians are comfortable with long periods of silence, and interest

Catalog   Abstract 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background 1.2 The aim of the paper 1.3 The organization of this paper Chapter 2 Literature review 2.1