Cultural Diversity in the Management of Pain: Complementary and Alternative Practices

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Definition of Trans-cultural Nursing

Transcultural nursing is a special discipline in the field of nursing, which entails a comparative study of the cultural health practices of different people, communities, families, cultures, and sub-cultures (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p.4).

As a result, trans-cultural nursing aims at developing a body of knowledge, which enables nursing professionals to deliver culture-specific and universally acceptable nursing care services to different people who are drawn from various backgrounds (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p. 4).

Cultural influences on nurse-client interactions

The contemporary nursing practice faces major challenges in terms of providing care to a large number of patients with different cultural beliefs, behaviors, health practices, and values (Bastable, 2008, p. 96).

Therefore, diverse cultural health practices and behaviors can influence the relationship between nurses and their clients because they play a major role in determining different styles and patterns of communication used by nurses on different clients.

In addition, cultural practices are very influential in nurse-client interactions because of their role in enhancing or hindering therapeutic communication between the two parties (Bastable, 2008, p. 98).

As a result, culture and other related factors influence therapeutic communication between the nurses and their clients in different aspects.

Factors affecting Therapeutic Communication

Cultural perceptions attached to different illnesses in different cultures can influence therapeutic communication in that they determine the individual understanding of different situations relative to one’s cultural and social experience. As a result, communication breakdowns occur due to differences in cultural perceptions between the nurses and their clients (Bastable, 2008, p. 100).

Conversely, differences in the cultural contexts of the nurses and their clients can influence therapeutic communication because different cultures have different ways of communicating and attach different meanings to various aspects of communication. Therefore, communication between the two parties may be hindered in case the two cultural contexts contradict each other (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, 132).

In addition, it is obvious that different cultures and sub-cultures have different languages. Consequently, the interaction between nurses and their clients may not produce positive results if the two parties are using different languages.

Apart from gender stereotyping in different cultures, gender differences in communication influence the nurse-client interactions in that the ability of men and women in using different communication skills differs from one culture to the other. For instance, women are very sensitive to nonverbal cues than men. As a result, the use of different communication styles is influenced by gender differences.

Additionally, different cultures attach different meanings and values to various health conditions. As a result, the patient’s health status influences therapeutic communication in different ways. For instance, a patient who is in pain may be preoccupied with his/her condition and therefore, fail to listen to the doctor’s advice (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p. 7).

The Process and Content for Cultural Assessment

Cultural Assessment

This entails a complete and systematic analysis of different individuals, communities, and families relative to their respective cultural practices, beliefs, and behaviors regarding nursing care (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p. 453).

The Cultural Assessment Process

The process of culture logic nursing assessment refers to the individualized approach used by the nurse to obtain relevant information from the client (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p. 453).

The Content for Cultural Assessment

This refers to different data categories and criteria used by nurses to collect actual data from the clients (Andrews & Boyle, 2008, p. 453).

The Process of Cultural Assessment

Considering that clients in the nursing field have different cultural orientations, the process of analyzing their diverse beliefs and health practices can be narrowed down to the following six steps;

• Observing the interactions and the relationships existing between the client and his or her family members and within the family as a whole.
• Listening to the client’s needs and preferences relative to the ones raised by his/her family members.
• Considering the patient’s communication style, skills, manners, and patterns.
• Exploring the distinctive taboos and customs of the client relative to the established nursing practices.
• Determining the client’s sensitivity to time frames and that of his/her family members, and
• Being aware of the communications approaches and cues, which are acceptable to different clients (Bastable, 2008, p. 111).

The Content for Cultural Assessment

In general, the content for cultural assessment entails assessing the client’s history and personal details through the use of history forms and checklists (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, p. 134). Therefore, the history forms and checklists contain;

• The standard client descriptive details
• Biographic details
• Reasons for visiting the nursing facility
• The client’s present health status
• The history of the client’s present health status
• The client’s past history
• The client’s family history
• Evaluation of the condition of each body system, and
• The Details of the physical examination

Population Demographics affecting Nursing

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), it is estimated that by 2025, about seven million people will be above 85 years old in the United States (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, p. 182).

As a result, about 18.5% of the population will be over 65 years old.

The increase in life expectancy is attributed to advancements in technology, preventive measures, and medical research, which have improved the prevalence of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease across all age groups (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, p. 182).

However, studies show that there is a direct relationship between age and the tendency to lead dependent lifestyles in the elderly populations (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, p. 182).

That is, as age increases, the quality of life decreases, and the requirements for supportive care in older populations increase.

As a result, studies show that about 7.3 million Americans particularly women will be leading dependent lifestyles by 2044. Therefore, the nursing care facilities will be receiving more clients as opposed to the number of professionals in the field (Bastable, 2008, p. 339).

In addition, the same studies show that about 45% of the total health care budget will be spent on providing nursing care to elderly populations. As a result, the annual budget for health care in different States will be significantly affected (Cohen & Cesta, 2005, p. 183).

Overall, the growing number of elderly populations will also affect the long-term nursing care services in terms of using more resources than the facilities can provide.

Therefore, there is the need for the top nursing management to develop other non-institutional programs such as community-based nursing care and nursing homes to address the increasing needs for limited resources.

Conclusions

This presentation offers a detailed review of the complementary and alternative practices for pain management relative to four specific areas of interest.

That is, the presentation looks at the essence of trantransculturalsing in the context of pain management and the process/content of cultural assessment in nursing.

Moreover, the presentation describes various cultural factors, which influence the nurse-client interaction particularly in therapeutic communication between the two parties.

Finally, the presentation looks at the impact of various population demographics, which are projected to change and affect the quality of nursing care in different aspects.

As a result, there is the paramount need to develop complementary and alternative nursing practices to address the increasing need for nursing care services, which are insufficient.

References

Andrews, M. & Boyle, J.S. (2008). Trans-cultural concepts in nursing care (5th Ed). Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, London: Lippincott.

Bastable, B.S. (2008). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Cohen, L.E. & Cesta, T.G. (2005). Nursing case management: From essentials to advanced prac ce applications. New York: Elsevier Publishers.

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