Culture plays a vital role in the provision of healthcare (hunt,2014). Therefore, culture has played a crucial role in the change in health practices in different cultures. Nowadays, healthcare is provided based on the culture of the individual. Several models of cultural assessments have been developed (Shen, 2014). However, in this essay, we will focus on the Purnell Model of cultural evaluation. The main aim of its formation was the need of the teachers and healthcare providers to understand culture on pupils and patients, respectively. Purnell Model has twelve domains that are used during the assessment process.
Overview and heritage are the first domain of the Purnell Model.S.K.is a 29 -year old female Kenyan. Her primary language is English. English is the national language of her country, and she spoke it fluently. She also speaks Kiswahili and Maasai language. She is not fluent in Kiswahili and Maasai. Presently she resides in Los Angeles America with her five-year-old child. She was born and raised in Kenya. She Therefore has an ancestral History of Kenyan. She considers herself as black American, and her parents were born in Kenya. The main reason for migrating to America was to look for greener pastures in terms of employment. Currently, she is practicing as a registered nurse.
Culturally, Kenyans value communication, which is another domain of Purnell. S.K being a Kenyan, communicate in a friendly manner, and in a polite way. She says that since she was young, she has respected the hierarchy of communication. She talks to the elders differently with more respect compared to her young friends. The dominant language she uses is English, and the tone and intonations vary depending on the person she is addressing. When she is angry, she reports that she stammers when talking.
Moreover, she shares her feelings and thoughts with her friends, which is one of the ways she deals with stress. “When I talk about my problems, they are solved,” she said. She also acknowledges the use of nonverbal gestures to communicate.
Consequently, the family roles and organization of the family have been managed by the use of communication. According to her, various functions of the family are shared among the family members. Since she is single and with a young child, she has no choice but to take all the family responsibilities. Culturally, the man is the head of the family and is the one to make every decision to be undertaken by the family. However, S.K. has to assume these responsibilities.
The workforce is another Purnell model domain. The Maasai culture is unique because of pastoralism. They hold on to nomadism, and elders are the ones to solve the racial problems. S.K., being a female, her role in the family is to give birth to children. She also believes in the communism of resources for the benefit of everybody. Also, she strongly believes in the attire of her culture. Moreover, As Kenyan, she seeks health advice whenever she is not feeling well.
Moreover, in bicultural ecology, S.K. has a black complexion and is long in height. She originates from the Maasai tribe. She says that in her culture, the hereditary system is practiced. Currently, the Kenyan government has turned the tables. The leaders are now elected to represent their people. The primary source of their income is livestock keeping. She also believes that her culture is prone to a lot of diseases. Despite these diseases, they rely on traditional medicine, which is not proven to be effective. Their bodies have also accustomed to the drinking of the blood.
Under high-risk behaviors, S.K. says that she did undergo Female Genital Mutilation, which was then just before the government started strict enforcement of restriction of FGM. According to her, FGM is inhumane to girls since they make them prone to many problems like difficulty giving birth. Daily she wakes up in the morning for a small run to improve her health. She also says that she practices safe sexual practices. She does not abuse drugs like alcohol.
About nutrition, S.K. is okay with her current weight with a BMI of 23 in kilograms per meter square. She says that she does not have an alarm in reducing the portion of the food taken because she does not have any problem. S.K. takes almost all food according to her and has no history of allergy to any meal. Her diet comprises a balanced diet, and the primary source of her proteins is from Fish. Culturally is the heritage of the cow’s meat and is taken regularly. Fundamental ways of cooking food are by cooking. She uses the fridge to preserve the foods.
Moreover, according to her, the best way to prevent illness is by taking more of the fruits regularly. Also, she acknowledges that eating a balanced diet when sick will assist in the quick recovery
Moreover, Pregnancy and childbearing are considered sacred, according to her Maasai culture. Children are gifts and should be taken care of in terms of their needs. However, the childbearing outside wedlock is a lack of respect. S.K., being a single mum after divorce, followed her culture. She is not currently using any birth control pills, and she considers abortion to be a taboo. She gave birth to her child at the hospital and firmly believes that giving but at the health care centers is of greater importance. She also believes that for the barren women, they have to pass under the cow to be made fertile.
Traditionally, the Maasai do not believe in life after death. They were accustomed to the dumping of the bodies of death in the forest. Currently, they have started respecting the deceased. S.K. believes in life after death since she is Christian. However, she also acknowledges the rituals done by her culture on the grave. Therefore, according to her, death is usual, and everybody has to die. However, the death of a close relative makes her grieve.
Accordingly, spirituality is honored by S.K. She is a Christian and believes in God as the savior of the world. She has even taken a lot of measures to encourage her young child to be attending church. She beliefs in prayers and prays every time, either in happiness and difficulties. She hopes that God made her for a purpose, and she obtains the strength through God. S.K. beliefs in prevention than cure. She explains that is the reason why she took her child for all the immunization.
Moreover, she has hope in traditional medicine. She has been using traditional medicine since young, but now she seeks advice from trained medical staff. S.K also beliefs in self-medication; for example, she currently uses the antacid medications. According to her, mental illness is a disease, and the affected should need to be taken to the hospital.
Moreover, she beliefs than any gender can be productive in anything they believe. That’s why she pursued nursing to be a health care provider. However, according to her culture, women were not allowed to be educated. She thus faced a lot of challenges during her studies but finally made it. Also, she believes in magic to heal diseases. She acknowledges that God is the one who heals after treatment.
Therefore, culture has a lot of implications for health. Giving health advice to the patient without knowing the cultural background affect how the patient will interpret the information. The impact of culture affects how the patient views health and illness. For example, S.K. views illness as severe and requires health advice. Communication in different cultures has an impact on health. Communicating problems will help to solve stress. Generally, the absence of fear improves the state of health. Culture also affects how one believes the cause of the disease. For example, in rural Afghanistan, they think that diseases are caused by evil spirits (Helman,2007).
Moreover, some cultures stigmatize psychiatry patients. They see no need for health-seeking behavior. Some cultures also do not encourage the sharing of the problems. By not sharing problems, it can lead to depression. Also, maintaining eye contact in certain cultures is a lack of respect. A health care provider who has not made cultural history may consider this as depression. Some cultures also believe that a health care provider who does not give an injection is not serious (Segal,2010). Therefore, the compliance to drugs given may decrease.
culture plays a vital role
Some cultures also affect how they accept to preventive measures. For example, they believe that God protects human beings from diseases, and there is no need for prevention. Most of them do not take their children to be vaccinated. Generally, it affects the control of various diseases that can be transmitted from one person to the other. How cultures view death also affects health. Religions that believe in no life after death disposes of the bodies of the deceased in the forest (Segal,2010). Dumping of bodies increases the spread of diseases that are contaminable.
The family also influence health-seeking behavior. Some cultures believe that women are the ones to take care of the sick. Others, like Muslims, cannot be attended by the opposite gender except their spouses and close relatives. Finally, cultural practices like female genital mutilation have also influenced health practices. When circumcised women visit the health centers to give birth, they are not free to open up to health care providers. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
In conclusion, Culture plays a vital role in health. Today the health care personnel should respect the culture of every patient. Therefore, by assessing the cultural history, it will help the healthcare provider to consider the uniqueness of each individual. Also, it will help in the inclusion of individuals who understand the patient clearly in the care. Through the use of the Purnell model, assessment, planning, and implementation of health care promotion lead to the restoration of health.
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