This paper explores the African American heritage and besides identifies the significance of nurses being culturally cognizant. sensitive and competent when caring for people of African American heritage. Although these footings mentioned above are used interchangeably. they have different significances. Cultural consciousness is appreciating the external or material portion of the civilization. such as the music. humanistic disciplines. and physical features. and frock. Cultural sensitiveness is the personal attitudes toward the civilization. such as non stating things that is violative to person from a different cultural or cultural background ( Purnell. 2013. p. 4 ) .
Cultural competency is seting it all together ; by utilizing your cognition to supply culturally congruous attention and to be able to work efficaciously with people in cross- cultural state of affairss. African Americans are the 2nd largest ethnocultural groups in the United States ; nevertheless. it is one of the most misunderstood civilizations. This civilization is so alone because they have mixed their civilizations from their different places of beginning in Africa. along with American civilization. This paper overviews the history. communications. household functions. work force issues. biocultural ecology. bad behaviours. gestation and childbirth patterns. spiritualty. wellness attention patterns. nutrition. and decease rites in the African American civilization.
It is of import that nurses see themselves as going culturally competent when caring for African Americans. and this involves integrating cultural desire. cultural consciousness. cultural cognition. cultural accomplishment. and cultural brush with the people of African American heritage ( Campinha-Bacote. 2009 ) . 2 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE One of the largest minority groups in the United States. African Americans civilization includes the assorted cultural traditions of different African ethnic groups.
“Data from the U. S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census ( 2001 ) reveals that there are about 34. 333. 000 African Americans shacking in the United States. stand foring 12. 1 % of the entire population” ( Campinha-Bacote. 2009 ) . They were forcibly imported into the United States as slaves from 1619 to 1860 ( Purnell. 2013. p. 21 ) . During bondage. they incorporated their civilization from their places of beginning. and as a consequence. their civilization included several cultural traditions of African cultural groups. Many African Americans live in poorness due to favoritism and deficiency of proper instruction.
Most households of African American heritage value instruction. but they still struggle to hold equal representation in the workplace. and are more likely to work in a risky environment. ensuing in occupation related diseases and unwellness. Due to the lower-level places and the trouble in accomplishing higher chances in the workplace. some African Americans continue to experience demoralized. Nurses need to turn to favoritism and besides issues that create cultural or racial tenseness in the workplace.
English is the linguistic communication spoken by African Americans. nevertheless. people of lower socio economical position communicate in an informal linguistic communication known as African American English ( AAE ) ( Purnell. 2013. p. 22 ) . Harmonizing to Campinha-Bacote ( 2009 ) . the major job that AAE talkers face is prejudice. Most people believe that AAE is inferior to Standard American English. As a consequence. African Americans who speak AAE are sometimes misinterpreted as being uneducated. Nurses should be cognizant non to pigeonhole African Americans as merely talking AAE. and besides non to pigeonhole them as uneducated based on the manner they communicate. African Americans are expressive when 3.
A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE communication and frequently use organic structure linguistic communications to convey their feelings. Their expressive linguistic communication and organic structure motion can be misconstrued as choler or aggravation. Nurses need to be familiar with these features and non misinterpret them. As a nurse. when interacting with African Americans for the first clip. be certain to turn to them officially. until given permission to utilize other names. such as their first name. The Afro-american household has evolved over the last two decennaries and still continues to germinate.
A individual that is brought up in a traditional atomic household is more likely to go on that tradition. Whereas. a individual that is brought up in a individual parent place is more likely to go on that same tradition. Although these state of affairss are more likely. they are non ever so. To supply the most competent attention. the best thing for the nurse to make would be to inquire the patient in a non-judgmental manner about household kineticss and besides inquire them what they would experience the most comfy with when it comes to determination doing for their attention. The nurse should so accept this determination.
Bing knowing about this cultural group’s household values and beliefs are important for supplying attention for the African American patient ( Revell & A ; McGhee. 2012 ) . A high per centum of African American families are matriarchal and autumn below poorness degree. With that being said. it is wise for nurses to do a point of including adult females when discoursing wellness attention issues. Nurses besides should take note when covering with homosexual persons in this cultural group. non to interrupt assurance by sharing their life styles with others. This information can endanger and do struggles within the household and ruin relationships.
Romantic relationships of the same-sex are non wholly acceptable within this civilization. 4 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE As in many civilization. societal position is of import in African American community. African Americans are frequently met with negative ambiance and bias attitudes based on their cultural background and tegument colour. Premises are made based on AAE spoken by some as an indicant of unintelligence and the deficiency of instruction. These premises sometimes affect employment chances and occupation publicities. Nurses should be cautious non to fall into the stereotyping African Americans based on these features.
African American tegument colour ranges from visible radiation to really dark due to the combination of a cistron pool of more than 100 racial strains ( Purnell. 2013. p. 25 ) . When measuring for cyanosis in colored African Americans. be certain to pay attending to the unwritten mucous membrane or conjunctiva. When measuring for lividness. observe the absence of the implicit in ruddy tones that give the tegument it’s freshness. Last. when detecting for icterus. be certain to look at the sclerotic coat of the eyes. the colloidal suspensions of the pess. and the thenar of the custodies for any xanthous stain ( 25 ) .
Health attention is a luxury that low socioeconomic African Americans may non be able to afford. Meeting their day-to-day demands takes precedence over what they believe to be minor wellness issues. Consequently. diseases that could be treatable might stop up being a life- threatening state of affairs. African Americans are household orientated. because of this ; some tend to ab initio seek medical attending from household members instead than traveling to a wellness attention professional. Health attention professionals need to be cognizant of this and work toward learning and administering wellness information via church and community centres. Most African American adult females are against abortion due to spiritual. cultural. and moral beliefs.
As a consequence. there is a hold in doing a determination until it becomes excessively late. 5 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE Family support is important for pregnant African American adult females. Gichia ( 2000 ) studied and found out that African American adult females look for function theoretical accounts such as older female relations. or if they have none. they look for person who seemed like a female parent to them. such as a neighbour.
These function theoretical accounts can supply the pregnant adult female and new female parent with needful support. Harmonizing to Abbyad & A ; Robertson ( 2011 ) . nurses caring for pregnant African American adult females need to be informed about the assortment of ways in which childbirth readying can happen. as in any other group of pregnant adult females.
Furthermore. nurses need to see the ways in which their attitudes and behaviours send unwelcoming messages to African American adult females seeking antenatal attention or childbearing categories. These attitudes can deter the African American adult female in seeking farther attention. “Culturally competent attention for the childbearing African American adult female includes turn toing all constituents of attention including the usage of complementary and alternate medicine” ( Revell. 2012 ) .
The childbearing nurse that is supplying culturally competent attention should be cognizant that the sensed norm is different for every household. African Americans are religious and are normally affiliated with some spiritual order. Historically. the church has played a major function in the life of African American civilization. The church is a topographic point where they can run into on common evidences. Faith and supplication is one of the most of import properties of Christian African Americans. They believe that God has the power to mend them. and he besides has the power non to. They believe that whatever happens to them is harmonizing to God’s will. Food is really valuable in the African American civilization.
It symbolizes wellness and wealth. It is derived from African descent. When nutrient is offered to person. it means that the individual is valued ; and by offering nutrient. they are given you something that is 6 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE valuable to them. When it comes to nutrition. some African American diets are high in cholesterin and fats. Harmonizing to James ( 2004 ) . “African Americans will necessitate information on basic nutrition subjects such as functioning sizes and reading nutrient labels” . Nurses that work in African American communities should be involved in plans that promote healthy nutrient picks.
These plans can specifically be developed for churches. vicinity food market shops. and local eating houses. “Health disparities among the Afro-american population include life anticipation. bosom disease. high blood pressure. infant morality and morbidity rates. malignant neoplastic disease. reaping hook cell diseases. HIV/AIDS. force. type 2 diabetes mellitus. and asthma” ( Campinha-Bacote. 2009 ) . Unfortunately. they have the inclination to see a wellness attention professional merely when perfectly necessary. “
Health is viewed as harmoniousness with nature. whereas unwellness is seen as a break in this harmonic province due to demons” ( Purnell. 2013. p. 33 ) . Acknowledge and back up your patient cultural behaviours and believes to advance healthy interactions. In add-on. ever provide factual information about wellness patterns that may non be understood due to their cultural believes and cultural differences.
In decision. it is recommended that nurses familiarize themselves with cultural specific information in order to supply cultural competent attention in African American community. Nurses should see the undermentioned inquiry: “In caring for African- American patients. have I asked myself the right inquiries.
” It is of import for nurses to be cognizant of their prejudices and biass toward African Americans. In add-on. they should possess the needful accomplishments to carry on a cultural appraisal while possessing cognition of this cultural group ( Campinha-Bacote. 2009 ) . Last. nurses should ever 7 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE have the desire to go culturally competent non merely with African American patients. but any patient that has been placed in their charge. 8 A Nursing METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE Resources Abbyad. C. . & A ; Robertson. T. ( 2011 ) .
African American Women’s Preparation for Childbirth From the Perspective of African American Health-Care Providers. Journal Of Perinatal Education. 20 ( 1 ) . 45-53. doi:10. 1891/1058-1243. 20. 1. 45 Campinha-Bacote. J. ( 2009 ) . Culture and diverseness issues. A culturally competent theoretical account of attention for African Americans. Urologic Nursing. 29 ( 1 ) . 49-54. Gichia. J. E. ( 2000 ) . Mothers and others: Afro-american women’s readying for maternity. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 25 ( 2 ) . 86-91. James. D. ( 2004 ) .
Factors act uponing nutrient picks. dietetic consumption. and nutrition-related attitudes among African Americans: application of a culturally sensitive theoretical account. Ethnicity & A ; Health. 9 ( 4 ) . 349-367. Purnell. L. D. ( 2009 ) . Peoples of African American Heritage. Guide to culturally competent wellness attention ( 2nd erectile dysfunction. . p. 21-35 ) . Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Co. Revell. M. A. . & A ; McGhee. M. N. ( 2012 ) . Development of the African American Family. International Journal Of Childbirth Education. 27 ( 4 ) . 44-48. Revell. M. A. ( 2012 ) . Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the African American Culture. International Journal Of Childbirth Education. 27 ( 3 ) . 55-59.
