Culture varies significantly from one culture to the other, and an individual who migrates to a different country might find it hard to adapt to a new environment. The society and community in which one grows in plays a huge role in one’s decision regarding situations. People have different values depending on their traditions and culture, and in some cases, cultural practices might defer. The American healthcare system, in this case, differs from that of Mr. and Mrs. S as is portrayed in their different ways of reasoning. The US healthcare sector can act in the best interest of a patient to save a life even if it is against the patient’s family. Their value for human life surpasses the need to come to a consensus with the other involved parties. The sense of time is also vital in saving a life in the healthcare sector in the United States, and they thus make decisions fast as long as a life will be saved (Torres-Cueco, 2018). The aspect of time, in this case, rendered the healthcare system to extend the stay of Baby S in the hospital to ensure that he is monitored. Consequently, the US healthcare system finds every life important, despite the level of severity, and it would be wrong if they fail to act, letting Baby S lose his life.
My cultural values, norms, and biases lead to my perspective of the circumstances in the case of Mr. S, Mrs. S, and baby S. From the community I live in, a child has the right to live, and actions such as abortion at any stage are condemned. In the same way, an already born child has a chance to live. Although baby S might lead a larger part of his life under treatment, he will have an opportunity to live and achieve his goals, and neglecting him by going home despite his deteriorating health condition is unethical (Goloff & Moore, 2019). My decision is mainly based on my culture in which I was brought up to respect every life. Consequently, I might show biases against Mr. and Mrs. S as long as the baby’s life is in danger.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Ethnocentrism is the act of judging a different culture and also believing that the standards and values of one’s culture are far superior. In this case, I applied ethnocentrism by deriving judgment that the healthcare system was right when they made the decision against letting the child leave. If one looks into the broader picture, it is also wrong to act against the parents’ will as it is their child. However, my cultural values and norms advocate acting in the best interest of everyone, and if possible, no one gets hurt. In this case, keeping the baby in the hospital saves his life, and non of his parents is in danger either.
There is a need for an immediate action plan to ensure that the healthcare sector works with the family despite there being conflicts over cultural differences.
Help the family understand the US healthcare culture. The first and most important step would be to call upon the facility’s family counselor to help the couple understand the US healthcare culture and its ability to act in the best interest of everyone. The couple might not understand that it is the culture of the healthcare system to take the action that they took.
Try to come to a consensus within the 48 hours of their stay in the facility. It is important to try and convince the couple about the importance of letting the hospital perform dialysis. Also, allowing this couple to speak and understanding their culture is equally important. A dialogue will help them come to an agreement, and the doctors can thus act with permission from the parents.
References
Goloff, N., & Moore, T. (2019). A Case Study in Cross-cultural Health Care and Ethics: Who Decides What Is in the child’s “Best Interest”?. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing , 21 (1), 8-13.
Torres-Cueco, R. (2018). Pain, culture, healthcare system in the postmodern society. Pain and Rehabilitation-the Journal of Physiotherapy Pain Association , 2018 (44), 5-9.
