Mexicans form one of the largest minority groups in the US. Understanding the medical health concerns of Mexican immigrants who will settle in the area is crucial for the organization to come up with a healthcare plan for the population. The medical needs of the immigrants will be addressed deservedly if the organization conducts a bio-cultural study, health practices, and health risks assessments. Consequently, the best treatment plans for the Mexican patients can be devised based on knowledge of their cultural and traditional practices and an understanding of how these practices will affect patient outcomes. Thus, pharmacological needs of this population are determined from information on their culture, beliefs and existing treatments used by the community.
Health Concerns and Treatment Regimens
Pharmacological needs of Mexican immigrants are tied to health issues of the general Mexican immigrant population. Their health concerns emanate from cultural practices and beliefs, genetic composition and general lifestyle. Hispanic populations in the US have shown a high prevalence of diseases like diabetes, liver complications, and hypertension as well as hypertensive renal disease (Dominguez et al., 2015, p. 469). Drawing from this research, Mexicans are likely to be affected by these diseases. Additionally, lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking increase the risk of Mexicans suffering from cancer, obesity, and depression. The genetic composition of Mexican is a blend of races, hence they may suffer from many diseases that affect the individual races. Furthermore, Mexicans show sensitivity to general depression medications and are less likely to respond to hypertension medication (Cartwright & Shingles, n.d). Since Mexicans in the US are likely to live below the poverty line, healthcare access and insurance is a matter of concern.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Prevalence of diabetes and obesity problems among Mexicans is attributed to diet, lifestyle and genetic factors (Juckett, 2013, p. 49). Awareness of the health risks of obesity is low. A majority of Mexicans use herbal medicines and home remedies for the treatment of these diseases. However, these herbal medicines are not used independently. They combine traditional medicine with modern medications for these conditions. Mexicans and Hispanics, in general, have a poor response to many hypertensive drugs. However, drugs with calcium channel blockers are known to work well with these populations. Similarly, specific drugs have shown positive results in treating depression in these populations.
Culture and Traditional Beliefs
Mexicans hold some traditions and beliefs concerning illness and medicine. Some of the beliefs may come as a surprise to people are not familiar with Mexican culture. For example, among Mexicans, a body weight of above average is treated as an indicator of good health. Such beliefs may pause concerns for healthcare professionals in the management of lifestyle diseases. Again, traditional beliefs about folk illnesses and healing commonly known as curanderismo exist (Juckett, 2013, p. 50). Patients may seek the services of traditional healers in some situations. This practice is common where the illness is chronic or in cases where the patient is in despair. Such situations may cause the patient to do away with prescribed medications. However, it’s rare for families to result in alternative medicines without seeking Western medicine.
A majority of Mexican immigrants achieve the minimum education level of high school in the US. They are therefore knowledgeable on the superiority of conventional medicine over traditional practices. Consequently, there is a high preference for Western medicine over traditional methods in Mexican culture. In spite of that, cultural values and tradition play a significant role in healthcare. Traditional herds are still considered useful for ailments like colds. Traditional healing rituals for patients with depression have proved less successful, similar to other cases of cancers and cardiac diseases. As a result, prescribed medicines by physicians are accepted due to their superior outcomes when compared to traditional practices.
Patient and Population Education
Patient education plays a vital role in the use of pharmacology treatments in achieving positive patient outcomes. One of the most effective methods of delivering desired outcomes is overcoming language and ethnic barriers in hospital settings. It can be achieved through hiring nurses from Mexico (Hart & Mareno, 2014, p. 2223). Mexican practitioners are in a better position to advise this patient on the effectiveness of prescribed medicines. Another strategy is to permit the continued use of traditional remedies in combination with prescribed medication in situations where it's obvious that the alternative medicines do not affect the functionality of the prescribed drug. Cultural sensitive patient education should also involve discouraging traditional treatments that dangerous or ineffective (Juckett, 2013, p. 51).
Equally important is population education on the importance of health and fitness. This education should focus on the significant health concerns for the population like lifestyle diseases, alcohol, and cultural practices and beliefs. The most crucial aspect of the education should be to dispel the false belief that above average body weight is a sign of good health (Cartwright & Shingles, n.d). The other vital aspect should be to assert the importance of lifestyle in determining health and wellness. The importance of exercise in reducing the risk of lifestyle diseases needs to be emphasized. Moreover, cultural practices that negatively affect the health of individuals need to be discouraged.
In conclusion, understanding the pharmacological needs of the Mexican immigrants that will settle around the hospital is vital addressing the overall health needs of the population. First, the health concerns will inform decisions on healthcare and the best medication for Mexican patients. Their cultural beliefs and traditional practices relating to health care significantly affect the acceptance of conventional medicine. Pharmacological treatments are accepted among Mexicans, but continued belief in detrimental healthcare practices is a matter of concern. Thus, patient and population education are essential in ensuring prescribed medicines are fully accepted, and patient outcomes in the organization remain high.
References
Cartwright, L. A., & Shingles, R. R. (n.d). Cultural considerations when working with Mexicans. Retrieved February 16, 2018, from human-kinetics: http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/cultural-considerations-when-working-with-mexicans.
Dominguez, P.-A. A., Chang, M. H., Moonesinghe, R., Castellanos, T., Rodriguez-Lainz, A., & Schieber, R. (2015). Vital signs: leading causes of death, prevalence of diseases and risk factors, and use of health services among Hispanics in the United States-2009-2013. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 64(17), 469-478.
Hart, P. L. & Mareno, N. (2014). Cultural challenges and barriers through the voices of nurses. Journal of clinical nursing, 23(15-16) : 2223-2233.
Juckett, G. (2013). Caring for Latino patients. American Family Physician, 87(1) , 48-54.
