Investigation Of Culturally Competent Terminology

The patient is an Aboriginal, which is a special community in Australia. As a community, the Aboriginals are worse-off as far as health care equality and equity is concerned. Therefore, when presented with an opportunity to serve this patient, I will do my best to deliver a culturally-competent care. This will be achieved by adopting the following strategies:

Communication is a very significant component of health care delivery that should be applied when attending to all the patients. If given an opportunity to serve this patient, I will do everything within my capacity to deliver a holistic care to the patient. One of the ways of achieving this goal is to effectively communicate with the client and make him feelthat an urban hospital is good for him.

To communicate well, I will have to be a good listener. I will have to be a critical listener who gives the patient enough time to speak to me. In order to create a good environment for the patient, I will have to allow him to talk to me and tell me anything that he wants me to know. At the same time, I will allow him to ask me questions and respond to any queries that I may be having. As an Aboriginal, the patient has a different understanding on communication (Jongen, et al., 2014). However, the most important thing to do to him is to lend him my ears and allow him to communicate to me without many struggles (Truong, Paradies & Priest, N., 2014).  Critical and supportive listening is a commendable thing to when attending to the patient. It will enable me to deliver satisfactory care because of many reasons. First, critical and supportive listening will allow me to appeal to the patient and encourage him to collaborate with me. A good interpersonal relationship with the patient is necessary because it can create a favorable environment for the treatment of the patient.

Treating the Patient with Respect and Dignity

The other strategy that I will apply when attending to my patient is that I will treat him with all the respect that he deserves. As a healthcare practitioner, I know that I should be responsible for delivering a holistic care to the patient. One of the ways of achieving this is to respect the autonomy of the patient. Since I already know some information about the patient, I will not hesitate to give him the kind of care that suits his condition and background (Renzaho, et al., 2013). I will not discriminate upon the patient because he is an Aboriginal who has poorly managed diabetes. I will not use his background as a basis of stigmatizing and showing him disrespect.

I am aware of the challenges that the diabetic patients have been going through. I know that the Aboriginals face numerous changes in their day to day life. I will not harass him because I know that Aboriginals are superstitious people who still believe in traditional bush medicine.  Instead, I will let the patient to allow me to provide him with the services that will not harm in any way, but enable him to manage his condition and recover well (Truong, Paradies & Priest, 2014).  What Aboriginals need is a culturally-competent care which strives to address all the needs of the patient. There is a high prevalence of diabetes amongst the Aboriginals because of the poor status of the community. What the Aboriginals lack is a culturally-competent care (Russell, 2013).

Use of an Aboriginal Liaison Officer when communicating with the Patient

One of the major barriers in intercultural communication is language barer. Linguistic limitation is an obstacle that can be resolved if appropriate measures are taken. Therefore, when serving the Aboriginal patient, I know that I might be confronted with this problem (Renzaho, et al., 2013). I am a non-indigenous individual who might find it extremely difficult to communicate with this client. The problem might arise because the patient might lack proficiency in English language. Aboriginals are people who are not very well educated (Grant, Parry & Guerin, 2013). A large number of Aboriginals do not speak fluent English because they prefer their language and lack enough education. In case this happens, I will not panic because there is a solution: I will rely on the services of an Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO). 

The ALO will help me in a number of ways. First, he will enable me to improve my communication with the patient. I will use him as an interpreter who will be translating for me the words spoken by the patient. This will help me a great deal because it will enable me to establish a good dialogue with the patient even if we do not speak a similar language (Brown, et al., 2015). The other reason why I will use the ALO is because he will enable me to appeal to the patient. Aboriginals are people who prefer to be served by fellow Aboriginals. Therefore, using an Aboriginal to act as an intermediary between me and the patient will enable me to win the confidence of the patient and enable him to accept my services.

Involving the Patient in the Decision-Making Process

As a healthcare provider, I know that my practice is guided by certain ethical codes of conduct such as autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Therefore, when serving this patient, I will have to apply these principles because they will enable me to deliver quality services to the satisfaction of the patient. I will emphasize on the use of autonomy because it will enable me to provide a culturally-competent care to the patient (Parker & Milroy, 2014). The autonomy of this patient who comes from an urban center will have to be respected. To achieve this, I will have to involve the patient in the decision making process regarding his health.

Before I make any decision, I will ask the patient to give his contributions. I will allow him to ask questions and give suggestions on what he prefers to be done. This will benefit me in many ways. It will win the confidence of the patient and enable him to accept the services provided by me because he will feel as an important part of the process. If I dominate the decision making process, I will not lose the trusty of the patient because he will feel excluded and compelled to undergo a procedure against his wish (Jongen, et al., 2014). I know that I should respect the autonomy of my patients because they have a right to give consent to or refuse any procedure if at all they are convinced that it cannot benefit them in any way.

References

Brown, A., et al., (2015). A strategy for translating evidence into policy and practice to close the gap-developing essential service standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cardiovascular care. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 24(2), pp.119-125.

Grant, J., Parry, Y., & Guerin, P. (2013). An investigation of culturally competent terminology in healthcare policy finds ambiguity and lack of definition. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 37(3), 250-256.

Jongen, C., et al., (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maternal and child health and wellbeing: a systematic search of programs and services in Australian primary health care settings. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 14(1), p.1.

Mitrou, F., et al., (2014). Gaps in Indigenous disadvantage not closing: a census cohort study of social determinants of health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981–2006. BMC Public Health, 14(1), p.1.

Parker, R. & Milroy, H., (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health: an overview. Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice. 2nd ed. Canberra: Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet, pp.25-38.

Renzaho, A.M.N., et al., (2013). The effectiveness of cultural competence programs in ethnic minority patient-centered health care—a systematic review of the literature. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 25(3), pp.261-269.

Russell, L.M., (2013). Reports indicate that changes are needed to close the gap for Indigenous health. Med J Aust, 199(11), pp.1-2.

Truong, M., Paradies, Y. & Priest, N., (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. BMC health services research, 14(1), p.1.