Abstract
This paper explores the ongoing health care needs of African-Americans as they relate to the delivery of competent nursing care and reveals that as a diverse group, African-Americans currently face some serious medical conditions based on lifestyle, genetics and a lack of access to high-quality health care. The paper addresses several areas, such as psychological, environmental and psychosocial factors related to communications, the influence of cultural beliefs and barriers, and some possible ethical dilemmas. In addition, this paper explores how the Giger-Davidhizer transcultural assessment model could be implemented as a way of analyzing the health care needs of African-Americans and for developing a health care plan, thereby increasing the lifespans and quality of living for all African-Americans.

Outliine:
Abstract
Introduction
Background Information
Analysis of the Culture: the Giger-Davidhizer Transcultural Assessment Model
Implementation
Evaluation
Conclusion

From the Paper
"According to Rachel E Spector, writing in "Health and Illness in the Black Population," African-Americans are currently the largest emerging majority in America, making up more than 12% of the overall US population. Demographically, more than 50% of African-Americans live in the Deep South, with the remainder living in practically every state. The largest numbers can be found in major cities like New York, Detroit, Memphis, Houston and Chicago. As a socio-economic group, almost 25% of African-Americans currently live in poverty, mostly in large urban areas. Also, almost 55% are under the age of eighteen with a mean age of less than 33 years (Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness, 2008, 260).
"Not surprisingly, there is now a growing number of blacks coming into the United States as African immigrants and as of 2000, more than 880,000 Africans have arrived from countries like Nigeria, Somalia and the Sudan. Therefore, with these facts in mind, the health care needs of a growing number of black Americans, both naturally born in the U.S. and as naturalized citizens, are now influenced by a wide variety of traditional beliefs and practices brought from Africa related to ancient rituals, folklore, healing practices and spiritual personal health, all of which have only increased the difficulty in providing medically-proven techniques set against a number of cultural barriers based on superstition and the alleged spiritual power of long-dead ancestors (Spector, 2008, 261)."

Tags:Giger-Davidhizer, quality, of, life, culture, disease, pseudo-cures

Abstract
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."

Tags:medical, nurse, patients, records, giger, davidhizer, ethnography, ethnicity