Today it is becoming more and more significant to consider the patient's cultural background before administering health care; some cultures are objected to certain approaches. Therefore, it is important to consider such modalities. The Purnell model for cultural competence is structurally designed to assess the patient's cultural information. Some of the main cultural assumptions taken in the development of the Purnell include
All patient encounters are cultural encounters
Cultural awareness enhances caregivers self-awareness
Cultural understanding minimizes prejudice and bias
A cultural encounter is a way of ongoing cultural learning
All health care providers should be equipped with cultural specific and cultural-general information and cultural diversity (Purnell, 2002).
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The model is arranged in a circular format beginning from the center to the periphery. At the center is the individual patient, followed by the family, community and the global society (Purnell, 2002). The model is based on 12 main domains, which form the basis of cultural analysis. The model is beneficial both for the practitioner as it enables the caregiver to understand his/her perceptions of other cultures.
In most cases, the caregiver can be unconsciously or consciously competent and incompetent. The 12 domains include overview and heritage, family roles and organization, communication, and biocultural ecology. Others include workforce issues, pregnancy and childbearing, nutrition, death, spirituality, healthcare practitioners, healthcare practices, and high-risk health behaviors (Purnell, 2002). The model provides assessment questions when approaching healthcare from a cultural point.
From the analysis, the model comes out as an effective tool for approaching medication through cultural consideration. Adoption of this model would help to solve cultural conflicts that are common at health centers.
References
Purnell, L. (2002). The Purnell model for cultural competence. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13 (3): 193-196.
