Health Care : Current Reviews

The Four A's of Cultural Diversity for Health Care Providers

Global Healthcare & Fitness Summit

July 20-22, 2015 San Francisco, USA

Linda K. Darnell

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Health Care: Current Reviews

Abstract:

Racial/ethnic disparities within the United States (US) healthcare system have been well researched and documented.
Cultural competence has emerged as one strategy to address healthcare disparities. Cultural competence describes the
ability of healthcare providers to interact effectively with people of different cultures. To produce positive change, healthcare
practitioners must understand the cultural context of their target community and have the willingness and skills to work
within this context. This means drawing on community-based values, traditions and customs and working with knowledgeable
persons of and from the community to plan, implement and evaluate prevention activities. Providing healthcare in today’s
multicultural environment it is essential that the healthcare providers are prepared to function effectively with patients from
different cultural background. This preparation allows healthcare providers to fulfill their roles which will increase patient
satisfaction and improve patient outcome. Scenario: A 38-year-old married Lebanese Muslim woman accompanied by her
husband presented to community clinic with complaints of foul smelling vaginal discharge×2 weeks. The healthcare provider
suspects the possibility of a vaginal infection and informed the patient that a pelvic exam would be performed to determine
what is causing the vaginal discharge. The healthcare provider that is currently available to see this patient is a male and the
husband refuses to allow them to examine his wife. The medical assistant excuse the husband from the room to sign some
insurance papers and the male healthcare provider proceeded with the exam despite the patient's obvious humiliation.

Biography :

Linda Darnell completed a Masters in Nursing Education in 2009 and is currently completing a PhD in Nursing Education from Capella University. She is a full time
instructor in nursing fundamentals at a baccalaureate nursing program. In 2015 she was the lead author of a chapter published in Elsevier’s Transformational Tool Kit
for Front Line Nurses. The chapter is titled Cultural Competent Patient-Centered Nursing Care. Her other interest include nursing history, perioperative nursing and
health care revision