As a paramedic, it is my responsibility to understand the cultural and social differences of the community I work with on a day-to-day. It will help my interactions with the people, the relationship I establish with then, and also the quality of services I deliver ( American Medical Association, & New York Academy of Medicine, 1848) . Case scenario: if I understand the client better, I can foster a good relationship with him or her. It will help with how we interact, the extent to which the client can open up, and eventually, I can offer services tailored to address the client’s needs. As a paramedic living in Victoria Australia, I have interacted with many residents of this area, and most of them are very conservative and bounded to their cultural values. I am particularly concerned with the issue of marriage. I am a free spirit, and I believe everyone has the right to marry. However, this is not the case in Australia; I have interacted with many conservative patients.
I was born and raised by two parents who were happily married. Seeing this from them, I have always believed that everyone has the right to marry. Being surrounded by many people who are married has contributed to my belief. However, as I got to interact with people during my practice as a paramedic in Australia, I was introduced to a culture that I was not familiar with. People in Victoria Australia are conservative, and not all that believe in marriage (Renzaho et al., 2011) . Therefore, such issues have to be taken with high sensitivity when engaging the clients. I once had an encounter with a patient who received an offense when I asked about his wife. My assumption was he is married based on his age, but it turned out that he was one of the reserved residents that do not believe everyone should get married (Anderson & Silva, 2009) . That experience got me to do more research about Australian cultural and social factors. When dealing with a patient that has a different opinion of marriage, I first seek to understand their idea and the reason for their belief. Have them know my knowledge and my intentions. Then explain the importance of marriage in healthcare while sensitively addressing the issue. Get the patients to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of marriage and make their personal decision. Despite my firm belief, it is unethical to force my opinions to my patients. The issue of marriage is an essential factor to be considered in healthcare because it comes out when offering medical services (Hawkins., et al.,2004) .
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There is a complicated relationship between health and marriage that has drawn the interest of many scholars to research the issue (Hewitt, Baxter & Western, 2006) . Based on research finds, married people are more healthy than unmarried people, and this proves the positive impact of marriage on health (Iwashyna & Christakis, 2003) . The results showed that healthy marriage improves the following aspects of health: mental health – one has a partner to share and express their feelings with, which is therapeutic and reduces the chances of depression (Uecker, 2012) . Reduced cost of health-care services. The financial burden of healthcare services can be shared. Also, home nursing can help reduce the medical bill (Grabowski, O’Malley & Barhydt, 2007) . Most children that have been brought up by married parents stand better chances of having better and healthier adulthood, unlike their counterparts who grew up in broken families or were raised by single parents (Reifman, Biernat & Lang, 1991) . However, this is not always the case in all marriages. It only applies to people who are in healthy marriages (Wood, Goesling & Avellar, 2007) . Marriage can deteriorate the health of an individual if it is toxic.
Cultural safety can be defined as acknowledging, recognizing ad respecting the cultural beliefs of other people ( Williams, 1999) . In healthcare, the needs of the patients have to be meet and addressed safely without compromising their values. One of the fundamental principles of cultural and social safety is it encourages people to focus on their own cultural beliefs ( Wepa, 2015) . It primarily examines the cultural attitudes and identities and being open-minded and flexible to accommodate the values of other people ( Nguyen, 2008) . In rural environments where we work and live with people of diverse cultural backgrounds, the importance of cultural safety cannot be underestimated ( Brascoupé & Catherine Waters, 2009). Many strategies can be used to enhance cultural safety.
Building cultural competence ( Campinha-Bacote, 1999).
|
Objectives |
Action points |
Resources needed |
Possible Sources of resources |
|
To understand the cultural values of other people. |
Reflect on my cultural values. Interact with more people. Reflect on other people's cultural values. Establish the differences in our values. Recognize and respect the differences. |
Time Reading and reference materials. money |
- the internet |
|
To understand my cultural beliefs and identity. |
Reflect on my own beliefs. Determine the source of the belief. Spend some time in the environment I grew up in. Spend some time with the people I grew up around. Reflect on their values and beliefs. |
Time Human resources – the people I grew up around. |
Family members |
|
Build and develop trust with my clients. |
Establish a healthy relationship. Understand and respect their beliefs. Have clear and proper communication with the patients. Always engage them in a two-way dialogue. Guide the patients to make their decisions based on putting their beliefs into consideration. |
patients time books/ reading materials safe spaces |
The internet for the reading materials. Health facility. |
References
American Medical Association, & New York Academy of Medicine. (1848). Code of medical
ethics . H. Ludwig & Company.
Anderson, M., & De Silva, S. (2009). Beliefs, values and attitudes . Me-and-Us.
Brascoupé, S., & Catherine Waters, BA, M. A. (2009). Cultural safety: Exploring the
applicability of the concept of cultural safety to Aboriginal health and community wellness. International Journal of Indigenous Health , 5 (2), 6.
Campinha-Bacote, J. (1999). A model and instrument for addressing cultural competence in
health care. Journal of Nursing Education , 38 (5), 203-207.
Grabowski, D. C., O’Malley, A. J., & Barhydt, N. R. (2007). The costs and potential savings
associated with nursing home hospitalizations. Health Affairs , 26 (6), 1753-1761.
Hawkins, A. J., Carroll, J. S., Doherty, W. J., & Willoughby, B. (2004). A comprehensive
framework for marriage education. Family Relations , 53 (5), 547-558.
Hewitt, B., Baxter, J., & Western, M. (2006). Family, work, and health: the impact of marriage,
parenthood, and employment on self-reported health of Australian men and women. Journal of Sociology , 42 (1), 61-78.
Iwashyna, T. J., & Christakis, N. A. (2003). Marriage, widowhood, and health-care use. Social
science & medicine , 57 (11), 2137-2147.
Nguyen, H. T. (2008). Patient-centered care-cultural safety in indigenous health. Australian family
physician , 37 (12), 990-994.
Reifman, A., Biernat, M., & Lang, E. L. (1991). Stress, social support, and health in married
professional women with small children. Psychology of Women Quarterly , 15 (3), 431-445.
Renzaho, A. M., Green, J., Mellor, D., & Swinburn, B. (2011). Parenting, family functioning, and
lifestyle in a new culture: the case of African migrants in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Child & family social work , 16 (2), 228-240.
Uecker, J. E. (2012). Marriage and mental health among young adults. Journal of Health and
Social Behavior , 53 (1), 67-83.
Wepa, D. (Ed.). (2015). Cultural safety in Aotearoa, New Zealand . Cambridge University Press.
Williams, R. (1999). Cultural safety—what does it mean for our work practice?. Australian and
New Zealand journal of public health , 23 (2), 213-214.
Wood, R. G., Goesling, B., & Avellar, S. (2007). The effects of marriage on health: A synthesis
Of recent research evidence. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc .
