1. What is cultural safety?
Cultural safety was devised by Irihapeti Ramsden, a Maori student nurse, during the 1980’s in New Zealand for Maori nurses and patients who were experiencing culturally inappropriate health services. Today, the concept of cultural safety is an evolving term which refers to a holistically safe environment whereby the professional worker delivers personal care in diverse communities by acknowledging the uniqueness of each service user’s personal, social, and cultural wellbeing. Culturally safe practices include recognising and respecting the cultural identities, needs, and wants of individuals. A key characteristic of this concept is the empowerment of the service user by their judgement about whether the professional relationship feels culturally safe. Furthermore, this enables the professional to reflect on their own cultural identity, being open-minded and flexible towards all service users, and recognising the impact their culture may have on their working relationships. Overall, cultural …show more content…
Firstly, for Indigenous people there is a lack of cultural safety within health care settings due to the adverse impacts of colonisation and power assumptions held by health care professionals. The personal experience of Van den Berg (2010) tending to the personal needs of Aboriginal male patients even though this was culturally taboo and embarrassing, enhanced my understanding of how cultural safety, or the lack thereof, significantly impacts upon appropriate Indigenous health services. Therefore, I believe cultural safety must be implemented through the acceptance and understanding of Indigenous culture and customs within health protocols which are unique from mainstream Australian health
Cultural safety was devised by Irihapeti Ramsden, a Maori student nurse, during the 1980’s in New Zealand for Maori nurses and patients who were experiencing culturally inappropriate health services. Today, the concept of cultural safety is an evolving term which refers to a holistically safe environment whereby the professional worker delivers personal care in diverse communities by acknowledging the uniqueness of each service user’s personal, social, and cultural wellbeing. Culturally safe practices include recognising and respecting the cultural identities, needs, and wants of individuals. A key characteristic of this concept is the empowerment of the service user by their judgement about whether the professional relationship feels culturally safe. Furthermore, this enables the professional to reflect on their own cultural identity, being open-minded and flexible towards all service users, and recognising the impact their culture may have on their working relationships. Overall, cultural …show more content…
Firstly, for Indigenous people there is a lack of cultural safety within health care settings due to the adverse impacts of colonisation and power assumptions held by health care professionals. The personal experience of Van den Berg (2010) tending to the personal needs of Aboriginal male patients even though this was culturally taboo and embarrassing, enhanced my understanding of how cultural safety, or the lack thereof, significantly impacts upon appropriate Indigenous health services. Therefore, I believe cultural safety must be implemented through the acceptance and understanding of Indigenous culture and customs within health protocols which are unique from mainstream Australian health