Alternative Medicine as a Field for Developing Cultural Competency

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Introduction

The practice of complementary and alternative medicine includes medical treatments that lie outside the field of traditional — or so-called ‘mainstream’ — therapies. Folk and home remedies, unique diets, and practices connected to body, mind, and senses are an integral part of many cultures throughout the world. These are founded on various ethnic and religious beliefs and people resorting to them exclusively are usually doubtful of Western medicine. If a nurse communicating with such a patient is not culturally competent and tactful enough, misunderstanding or even a conflict might occur. A patient’s convictions should not necessarily be shared – but they must be accommodated in the provision of treatment. The cultural influence of alternative medicine can be very strong and nurses must take that into account.

Relevance to Cultural Competence

Nowadays, alternative medicine is a relevant topic due to an increasing amount of people deciding to resort to it. For instance, Chinese patients might want to try acupuncture for pain-relieving, which is reasonable due to it having roots in their culture (Yan et al., 2020). However, others could have a desire to opt for alternative solutions because they mistrusted scientific methods. Moreover, due to globalization, interactions among people from all over the globe have increased, which might result in a wish to attempt practices that work for representatives of different cultures. Additionally, the population of any given country now is as diverse as ever – and nurses have to be adequately prepared for that. Regardless of the reasoning, with the growing use popularity of complementary therapies, patient safety needs to be paramount.

Considering everything mentioned before, the growing interest in alternative medicine is evident – and medical practitioners try their best to understand the peculiarities and trends of the occurrence. For instance, there is a rise in the use of dietary supplements and commitments to various dietary practices. It is interesting to note that it is frequent among patients diagnosed with conditions like diabetes and cancer, as well as with those simply wishing to alter their lifestyle (Bahall, 2017). In addition, alternative remedies from particular cultures tend to move to other areas with people changing their places of living. Another notable trend is the formulation of professional standards and guidelines peculiar to this particular phenomenon. Finally, heightened research activities among medical scientists to understand the efficacy and safety of complementary medicine have been reported to take place.

Planning Culturally Competent Care

Nursing professionals should plan culturally competent care considering various factors. One of the most important aspects is the patient’s background, including their race, culture, and family situation, as well as beliefs and values. Female patients may be directed to take alternative medicine by their male relatives and nurses should understand such arrangements to offer targeted guidance. One’s ethnic and cultural background might influence one’s views, and patients may use complementary medicine under the influence of society. Religion is also a factor that must be considered when planning culturally congruent care. Some religions have reservations about specific treatments and would prefer spiritual remedies. Nurses must ensure that these factors are incorporated into caregiving to succeed with patients from other cultures.

Recommendations

States and communities should find ways of properly regulating the use of alternative treatment. A standard framework must be created and implemented following appropriate guidelines to guide the widespread use of complementary therapies. Moreover, service providers must undergo training on the subject before they are accredited. This move will ensure that patients using alternative medicine are looked after and cared for by professionals who know exactly what they have to handle. Additionally, nursing professionals should be equipped with knowledge about alternative medicine. Currently, most nurses have a limited understanding of the topic, making it difficult for them to offer competent care.

Moreover, the training that nurses are to undergo must be restructured to be culturally congruent to expose care providers to different cultural contexts making them better prepared to communicate with people from diverse social backgrounds (Foronda et al., 2018). In general, the curriculum has to be constantly updated following the quickly changing landscape of the implementation of alternative practices and people’s attitudes toward them. Another recommendation is to develop an integrative policy that would incorporate approaches from both Western medicine and alternative treatments. It might be a suitable option for those who cannot decide which approach to resort to and include the most culturally recognized methods from both perspectives. Finally, more research is needed to be conducted on complementary medicine solutions. It is necessary to improve the safety of alternative medicaments and explore the short- and long-term consequences it has on patients from physical and mental viewpoints.

References

Bahall, M. (2017). BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17(1), 1-9. Web.

Foronda, C. L., Baptiste, D. L., Pfaff, T., Velez, R., Reinholdt, M., Sanchez, M., & Hudson, K. W. (2018). Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 15, 42-60. Web.

Yan, B., Zhu, S., Wang, Y., Da, G., & Tian, G. (2020). Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2020. Web.

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