Week_7

TUI University BHS 414 Module 1 Case Assignment Dr. Angela Hegamin 24 January 2010 Introduction to Health and Culture Values are predisposed and vary across people and cultures. They are related to the norms of a culture, but they are more general and abstract than norms. Norms are rules for behavior in specific situations, while values identify what should be judged as good or bad. Cultural value is a relative ethic value, an assumption upon which implementation can be extrapolated. Mr. Wolf, who has come in to the health office complaining of several symptoms which all lead to prostatis (inflamed prostate). After being diagnosed I have now prescribed him some antibiotics for the issue at hand. He accepts the antibiotics and informs me the he also plans on taking his own medication which is described as herbal herbs. After doing some research on the different herbs Mr. Wolf will take. I see that there shouldn’t be an issue with them. There are several herbal remedies available to the common US citizen also. All of these herbal treatments seem to promote prostate health. I will how ever inform him that if the swelling and other symptoms haven’t gone away in due time, that he may have to lay off the herbs and give the antibiotics a chance to work. I would also take Mrs. Wolf to the side and reemphasis my plan with her. Explain in great detail that along with the herbs and antibiotics we will monitor his progress. If the antibiotics are not working in a timely fashion we may have to limit the herbs until the antibiotics have had ample time to work. Along with that I will give them pamphlets on the antibiotics and other drugs that he may be prescribed along with the alternatives for the treatment of his issue. . As Health Care Providers must take into consideration that we deal with diverse cultures and our day to day habits could in fact cause offense to our patients, as in our illustration with the Mr. Wolf. In contrast, I and my nursing staff should try to do an exceptional job at listening and accepting what Mr. Wolf herbal treatments will involve. We will also listen to what Mrs. Wolf has to say on the issue. En masse, the American society does not take enough time or consideration for other cultural differences and beliefs, especially in Health Care. We tend to get encompassed in what we are comfortable with that we sacrifice the significance of Health Care, which is to provide the utmost care and compassion for our patients. We must get away from our norms and keep in mind that our patients, along with others around us could have different cultural viewpoints. The military has a system in place where we dedicate months out of each year to observe different cultures on a special month. By doing so, along with continuous training, this eradicates other cultures from the impression that one culture is more essential than the other. If not already in place, I believe that every person involved with Health Care should be required to attend annual training on cultural diversities; by doing so it would help to lessen situations like the one above. References: Native Remedies The Natural Choice.2010). Cherokee messenger Native American Herbal Remedies. Locke, Raymond Friday (1992). The Book of the Navajo, 5th Edition. Los Angeles: Mankind Publishing Company. www.nnwo.org Web site of the Navajo Nation. http://info.his.gov Web site of the Indian Health Services.