Understanding Multicultural Patient Education, Illiteracy, and Effective Communication (Coursework Sample)

Multicultural Patient Education, Illiteracy, and Effective Communication
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Multicultural Patient Education, Illiteracy, and Effective Communication
1.
Multicultural communication refers to the effective passage of messages between healthcare professionals from different cultural backgrounds. The origin of multicultural communication lies in the interaction of healthcare providers and patients from different cultural backgrounds. Due to the expanding globalization, people are increasingly traveling to various parts of the world for education, work, pleasure, and to seek better health facilities (Ryu and Lee, 2021). Thus, there arises the need to ensure a proper understanding between the different individuals, which is crucial in the provision of quality healthcare services.
2.
Culture or a cultural group refers to people who share common beliefs, customs, communication, and religious beliefs. A culture is distinguished from other cultures through its way of thinking and acting. On the other hand, ethnicity refers to a shared identity in relation to cultural, social, racial, or geographical origin. For example, an individual ethnicity can be Brazilian. Acculturation is the assimilation of one culture into a more dominant culture. In the process, members of a particular culture are accustomed to characteristics such as their customs, language, and ethnicity (Berry, 2019). Acculturation can occur due to situations such as immigration.
3.
Cultural and religious differences affect an individual’s perception of health care, such as making decisions such as the preferred treatment and medication. Their cultural and spiritual beliefs can also influence a patient’s perception on the meanings of suffering. (Cain et al.,2018). It is crucial for health care professionals to understand, consider and respect the patients’ different cultural backgrounds, as it influences the wholesomeness of the care provided to the patient. Besides, in cross-cultural communication, healthcare professionals may face issues such as how much information to disclose to a patient. Some patients believe that discussing death hastens the process, while others may want to know every detail regarding their illness (Cain et al., 2018). Other issues include language barriers, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism.
4.
A family’s beliefs, values, and accustomed behavior influence a patient’s reception to patient education. A family’s culture is more so crucial when dealing with the elderly, who are less accustomed to the evolving care systems. A modern family is likely to receive and accept new treatment options better than the traditional family, who are likely to follow their religious and traditional beliefs to the core. An example of family culture conflict with patient education is nutritional education (Falvo, 2010). Some patients may fail to follow the recommended dietary requirements, such as low-fat content, because it is in the family’s culture to take high-fat food.
5. – Being culturally competent includes seeking cultural knowledge, awareness, skill, and encounters (Tuohy, 2019). Cultural competence enables a health care professional to work effectively with different cultures.
- Avoiding making assumptions about the different cultures or religions. It is good to ask about the aspects of a patient’s culture that the practitioner may be unaware of instead of making uninformed decisions.
- By creating trust with the patient. A good relationship with the patient makes healthcare provision easier, and the patient feels at ease when engaging with the practitioner.