Cultural Competent Care: Personal Reflection And Case Study On Diabetes

Defining Cultural Competent Care

Discuss about the Cultural Competent Care.

Before I registered for this unit, I had some little knowledge about different Australian communities. I knew that Australia is a diverse nation composed of people from different cultural backgrounds. As a non-indigenous individual, I knew and acknowledged that there are indigenous people like Aboriginals who live in different parts of the country. I also knew that the Aboriginals face numerous socioeconomic challenges that hinder them from accessing quality healthcare services in the country. So, when I registered for this unit, I was happy because I knew that it would give me an opportunity to learn lots of things. I was so enthusiastic to learn about the Australian communities. I had lots of expectations that I was looking forward to fulfill by the end of the unit.

First, I was looking forward to learning about the composition of the Australian communities. I wanted to learn a lot about the meaning, similarities, and differences between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities in Australia. Secondly, I wanted to learn about the cultural traditions, beliefs, and values of the indigenous communities in Australia. I had some knowledge that the Aboriginals have a unique set of cultures which make them to be a special group in the country. However, I did not have a sound knowledge of the finer details of such practices because I have never gotten an opportunity to interact with the Aboriginals. Thirdly, I was hoping to learn about the health status of the Aboriginals. I wanted to know the social factors that determine the health of the Aboriginals and make them to require a special attention by the healthcare professionals. Lastly, I was hoping to learn about how the healthcare challenges facing the Aboriginals can be ultimately resolved so as to achieve health equality and equity in the country. I was looking forward to collaborating with my lecturer and fellow students to learn all these because they would make me to be a culturally-competent professional.

I would like to point out that my expectations were met. It was a valuable unit because it gave me an opportunity to learn about the Aboriginal community as far as health is concerned. The first lesson I learnt is that the Aboriginals is a minority and disadvantaged group in the country. The community has not been able to access quality health care because of their proximity, poverty, ignorance, unemployment, and cultural views held on health care. Besides, I learnt that the delivery of healthcare services to the Aboriginals should be done by culturally-competent practitioners. Community involvement should be applied when attending to the Aboriginals because it can enable them to accept the service because it makes them feel appreciated, recognized, and accommodated. I learnt that such a strategy can help in improving the health status of the Aboriginals by reducing the high prevalence of lifestyle, respiratory, chronic, and cardiovascular diseases.  These lessons changed my philosophy because, now, I believe that I should be nothing, but a culturally-competent healthcare provider.

Personal Reflection on Australian Communities’ Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

The patient is an Aboriginal who should be adequately supported and empowered to improve his condition. A culturally-competent care will be delivered to the patient to enable him manage his diabetic condition. This will be done by carrying out the following:

When attending to this Aboriginal patient, I will take the necessary measures to make him feel accepted. I will adopt a therapeutic approach when communicating with the patient. Here, I will make a good use of therapeutic communication strategies. The first thing I will do is to listen to the patient and give him enough time to express his opinions and respond to me. I will have to critically listen to him without unnecessarily interrupting him. Besides, I will allow him to tell me his opinion and respect them no matter how unique it might be. As an Aboriginal, the patient has got certain views that must be sough when attending to him. Therefore, I will have no choice rather than doing so. At the same time, I will accept the patient the way he is.

Therapeutic care is a good strategy to apply when attending to an Aboriginal patient. Most Aboriginals do not seek healthcare services because of fear of exclusion or discrimination. However, this is what I will try to eliminate when serving the patient. I will dedicate my time to delivering a good service to this particular Aboriginal patient. The use of therapeutic communication will enable me to establish a good rapport with the patient. At the same time, it will give me an opportunity to win the confidence of the patient and make him to have a trust in me and the services rendered.

The patient will be given a culturally-competent care. The care provided should be tailored to suit the needs of an Aboriginal. As an indigenous, the patient has a set of needs that should be met by the healthcare provider. Diabetes is one of the lifestyle diseases that are caused by certain behavioral practices like physical inactivity and smoking.  Furthermore, research has established that there is a high prevalence of diabetes amongst the indigenous communities. Therefore, to help the patient, he should be approached using a cultural-friendly approach. The Aboriginals have certain cultural views that expose them to diabetes. Worse still, the Aboriginals engage in risky behaviors that make it difficult to manage the condition.  

Cultural competent care will be delivered by understanding and appreciating the cultural beliefs of the patient. Before attending to the patient, efforts should be made to know the patient’s views regarding the condition and the best ways through which an intervention can be delivered. If the patient is given a chance to make contributions, it will be much easier because an acceptable decision will be finally made on how to address the needs. Culturally-competent care can be best delivered if the patient feels respected and involved in the treatment process. Therefore, when attending to the patient, enough time will be taken to know the cultural needs of the patient before taking deliberate steps to satisfy them as required. Reference to the patient’s cultural views s paramount because it will enable the healthcare provider to accommodate and satisfy all of them.

Case Study: Providing Cultural Competent Care to a Diabetic Aboriginal Patient

The patient will be provided with adequate education on diabetes. As already hinted, diabetes is a lifestyle disease that is associated with risky behaviors such as smoking and lack of physical exercises. These are the behaviors that increase the chances of contracting the disease. Therefore, when dealing with the condition, all these issues must be adequately addressed. Meaning, the patient should be taught much about the causes, symptoms, effects, management, and preventive measures for diabetes. This information is important and can empower the patient to make important decisions that can help in improving his health. All the teachings should center on issues like medication compliance, physical exercises, diet, and smoking.

When teaching the patient, a culturally-competent approach should be applied. Here, the healthcare provider should use effective communication skills to teach the patient. The practitioner should critically listen to the patient and treat him with the due respect he deserves. The teaching session should be interactive and accommodative. It should cater for the interests of the patient and give him the teachings that will benefit him. If taught how to change the behavior, the patient will be empowered to know how to handle his condition.  Many Aboriginals are suffering from diseases like diabetes because of the poor choices made. Therefore, when attending to the patient, it can be much better if the health provider incorporates an aboriginal practitioner. If this is done, the patient can readily accept the service because it is exclusively designed for his own benefit. 

In the care plan, the practitioner should take the necessary efforts to prioritize the needs of the patient. After a thorough assessment of the condition, the patient should be given a drug prescription. The drug should be prescribed because it is necessary in managing the patient’s condition. By prescribing an appropriate medication, the patient will be empowered to effectively manage the condition. It will help in minimizing the physical and emotional pains that might be experienced by the patient. However, the medicine provided should be able to help the patient to address all the pains. At the same time, it should be a medication that is administered in line with the patient’s cultural views (Parker & Milroy, 2014). Before prescribing the medication, it is commendable to know the cultural views of the patient towards the drug before taking the necessary measures to accommodate it.

Culture should be considered while prescribing the drug because Aboriginals have certain traditional views towards medicine. The views must be considered because they can determine the success of the administered drugs. As an Aboriginal, the patient subscribes to certain cultural values that must be respected. All these must be accommodated when attending to the patient because it will make him comfortable and satisfied. Culturally-competent is a very important practice that should be applied when attending to such patients because without it, the services provided cannot appeal to the patient. Diabetes is a condition that can be effectively managed if suitable medications are prescribed and administered as directed by the physician.