The Effects Of Cultural Safety On The Health Sector Of New Zealand And Their Health Needs

Asthma is a serious problem nationwide. It is also a significant problem in the state of Massachusetts, especially in communities in Boston. However, according to Harvard School of Public Health and NIEHS Center for Environmental Health, Roxbury and North Dorchester are highly noticeable hotspots (Backus, Terrell, Wool, & Straubel, 2012, p. 23). For the purpose of this paper, the main focus will be on asthma cases in

Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness in children and is responsible for nearly 10% of the Emergency Room visits for children <15 year of age. It occurs in as many as 10%-12% of children in the United States and is gradually growing. Asthma can begin at any age , but most children have their first symptoms by age five. Because Camp Wapiti is for children ages 8-13 exclusively, this report will focus primarily on childhood asthma.

Asthma is a long-term lung disease. Those with asthma have sensitive airways in their lungs which triggers a flare up. When this flare up happens the muscle around the airways squeeze tight and the airways swell, become narrows and produce more mucus. (Anon., 2016) All these things make it harder for a person to breathe. Asthma effects the human body’s respiratory system. Asthma causes a spasm and constriction of the bronchial passages and the swelling and the inflammation of the mucous lining. The body responds by defence cells from the immune system, which causes the airways to swell and the muscles surrounding the airways to contract. Which is what cuts off the airflow. While a person is in asthma attack, the asthmatic cannot breathe which

Nursing Council New Zealand (2011) defines cultural safety as the effective nursing of a person from another culture by a nurse who has undertaken a process of reflection and recognizes the impact of the nurses culture on own nursing. Irihapeti Ramsden (1946-2003) introduced the term ‘cultural safety’ into the education requirements of New Zealand nursing during the year 1990 (Wepa, 2012). As a result of this, Ramsden produced a document named Kawa Whakaruruhau. The document outlined concerns surrounding Maori health within New Zealand. In response to the publication of Kawa Whakaruruhau the Nursing Council of New Zealand amended, in 1990, the standards of nursing and curriculum assessment processes to include cultural safety (Wepa, 2012). Ramsden and Spoonley (1994) discuss that during the

By making sure all your practices as a nurse are culturally safe, you will know that you are treating every patient that comes under your care with the respect and standard of care that they require as an individual with their own beliefs. As a nurse, you need to be open minded and open to accepting cultures that may be different to you own so you do not compromise the care of the health consumer, and therefore affect the therapeutic relationship you need to have with the patient to care for them effectively. This is an essential skill that all nurses need to use in every practice they take part

Practicing cultural safety requires nurses to have undertaken personal reflection of their own cultural identity. This enables them to recognise the impact that their personal culture has on their professional practice (Cox & Taua, 2013). This personal reflection should allow the nurse to provide effective care to an individual or family from a different culture (Cox & Taua, 2013). In this essay I will reflect upon two of my own cultural groupings, discuss the concept of “other”, the relevance of cultural safety to nursing practice and how I might care for someone who is culturally different from myself.

Cultural safety is a concept that is integral to providing best care to patients in nursing practice. The CRNBC defines cultural safety as a process requiring RNs to reflect on their cultural identity, and develop their practice in a way that allows them to affirm the culture of their patients; cultural unsafety can be defined as any actions which demean, diminish, or disempower the cultural identity and well-being of people; this also addresses the dynamics of the power relationship between the Health Care Provider and the patient (p17). Although an environment of cultural safety is a standard that we are held to as nurses, this ideal is not always reached. In this paper I will discuss one such incidence, as well as some of the changes that will assist myself as a nurse, as well as others members of the healthcare team to create an environment of cultural safety.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition, ranked as the highest cause of non-fatal burden in Australians aged 5 to 14, and the seventh highest overall in 2010, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (cited in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). In addition, a 2014 report of Australian health conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that in 2011-2012, asthma affected 10.2% of the Australian population, double that of the prevalence of heart disease and diabetes (5%) but on par with hypertension (10.2%). What is more, an Indigenous person is twice as likely to report having asthma than a non-Indigenous person (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014). Hence, asthma is

Cultural safety is patient centred-care. This statement is debated within the following essay. Discussed are definitions of cultural safety and patient-centred care. Cultural safety is debated, alongside how policies, models of health, quality issues and health informatics impact on health care. Science and learning needs are articulated within the debate professional issues analysed. Finally, a conclusive opinion is made to complete the debate.

It is derived from the Greek word “Aazein”, meaning to breathe sharply (Medicalnewstoday). Asthma is a respiratory condition in which the airways that lead to the lungs become inflamed and constrict thus reducing airflow and causing a shortness of breath along with a “wheezing” sound. Another familiar symptom is coughing, however this normally occurs at nighttime. If certain substances enter the airways it can cause irritation which in turn will inflame the airways which creates a much smaller path for air to flow. Symptoms can range from minor to severe. The airways also create mucus. Mucus is a thick slimy substance, which can also worsen the asthma if it sits in the airways to the lung if they are constricting. Asthma is classified as a chronic (long-term) lung disease. In the United States it affects over 25 million people, 7 million of which are children (nih). Asthma will never go away; even a healthy person with asthma can have symptoms occur with no warning. The strength of the symptoms can vary from mild asthma to severe asthma, and they can change abruptly in minutes. Occasionally if symptoms become more severe or worsen they can result to an asthma attack which makes it nearly impossible to breathe and if not treated immediately may become fatal.

I. Introduction: Looking at Asthma and breaking it down to fully understand the chronic disease.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes in which the bronchioles constrict due to oversensitivity. In asthma, the airways (bronchioles) constrict making it difficult to get air in or out of the lungs. Breathlessness is the main symptom. The bronchi and bronchioles become inflamed and constricted. Asthmatics usually react to triggers. Triggers are substances and situations that would not normally trouble an asthma free person. Asthma is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is when the inflammation in the airway is a result of hypersensitivity reactions associated with allergy (food or pollen). Intrinsic asthma is linked to hyper responsive reactions to other forms of

                  Asthma is a disease which affects the airways of the lungs, causing a kind of wheezing whenever an individual breathes, coughing, and you would run out of breathe a lot quicker than an individual without asthma. The

This encounter referred to as biculturalism, is an important aspect of cultural safety. This means that the interaction between a nurse and a patient is always considered bicultural as this involves the nurse’s culture and that of the patient’s. In this contact there is hidden power structure and a dominant culture (Henderson, 2003; Jarvis, 2012; Papps & Ramsden, 1996). As stated earlier, in New Zealand the colonisation British enabled them to dominate over all aspects of New Zealand’s way of life and culture, hence in the health care setting, the non-Maori culture prevails. As a culturally safe practice, nurses should learn to respect and acknowledge the culture of the care recipient whether it similar or different from them. Recipients of cares should be encouraged to participate and utilize their culture in managing their health and treatment (Papps & Ramsden, 1996). The nurse’s self awareness of one’s culture while acknowledging and respecting another’s is a fundamental requirement in order to practice cultural safety in nursing (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Polaschek, 1998; Robinson et al., 1996).

Reflect on current Māori health experiences in relation to existing clinical and or community health / disability services.