Paper Summary:

This paper outlines a theoretical background of the importance of health assessments. The writer claims that health assessment is a basic criterion for recording patient information, of which cultural assessment is also an important part. The paper discusses six cultural phenomena that nurses must understand and practice to ensure effective patient care. To substantiate this study, the paper provides a model for health (and cultural) assessment - an indigenous female in a maternity ward.

From the Paper:

"The commercial nature of medical care in institutions today forces medical practitioners to adopt a highly professional and impersonal attitude towards patients. This clinical attitude towards patients has been the result of standardization of medical processes. Studies indicate [Leininger, 1991] that personal care provides critical information regarding the patient, enabling doctors and nurses to diagnose patient's illness effectively. In a multicultural environment like Australia, treatment of ethnic patients requires such personal care. However, nurses who interact with patients, operate without having knowledge of the cultural background of their patients, are in danger of violating professional code of conduct. There is a need for cultural assessment along with health assessment for effective inter ethnic relationship building between patients and nurses. To achieve that, data pertaining to the patient's culture within the context of the disease is required. This could only be achieved through a health assessment."

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