Introduction
Approximately sixteen percent of the United States population is made up of Hispanic (also referred to as “Latino”) individuals. The term “Hispanic” refers to an individual whose nation of origin is Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or Spanish-speaking countries of Central America or South America (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, Alden, Olchansky, 2016, p. 104).
Additionally, Hispanics accounted for about 26.3% of births that took place in the United States in 2012 (Cohn, Livingston, & Passel). With over one-fourth of potential patients being Hispanic, a significant focus is placed on the expectations of nurses on Labor and Delivery units nationwide to provide culturally competent care. Cultural competence refers to the acknowledgement …show more content…
Ethnocentrism occurs when a nurse perceives his/her own culture as superior to others (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, Alden, Olchansky, 2016, p. 23). Overcoming this biased perception is essential to delivering competent and relevant care to patients.
With the increasing rates of Hispanics residing in the United States, Hispanics seeking medical care, and Hispanics giving birth, it is necessary for nurses to be aware of, acknowledge, and adapt to the culture in order to provide satisfactory, adequate …show more content…
Many Hispanic women fear potential unnecessary and/or invasive interventions performed in the clinical setting. This includes a great fear of Caesarean Sections. Such feelings of apprehension often result in frequently cancelling prenatal visits and, furthermore, opting to labor at home, avoiding the hospital until the very last minute (Baxley & Ibitayo, 2015). Because of this, anxiety related to the unknown or an unfamiliar environment is important for the nurse to address.
To begin with, the nurse must gather sufficient information through assessment to determine if his/her Hispanic patient is suffering from anxiety. This goes beyond simple inquiry or direct questioning. According to Hinton and Hoffman (2014), Hispanics are less likely to admit to or outwardly express feelings of anxiety. Thus, the nurse should assess vital signs and non-verbal cues including jitteriness (fidgeting hands or tapping feet) and infrequent eye contact (Hinton & Hoffman,
Approximately sixteen percent of the United States population is made up of Hispanic (also referred to as “Latino”) individuals. The term “Hispanic” refers to an individual whose nation of origin is Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, or Spanish-speaking countries of Central America or South America (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, Alden, Olchansky, 2016, p. 104).
Additionally, Hispanics accounted for about 26.3% of births that took place in the United States in 2012 (Cohn, Livingston, & Passel). With over one-fourth of potential patients being Hispanic, a significant focus is placed on the expectations of nurses on Labor and Delivery units nationwide to provide culturally competent care. Cultural competence refers to the acknowledgement …show more content…
Ethnocentrism occurs when a nurse perceives his/her own culture as superior to others (Lowdermilk, Perry, Cashion, Alden, Olchansky, 2016, p. 23). Overcoming this biased perception is essential to delivering competent and relevant care to patients.
With the increasing rates of Hispanics residing in the United States, Hispanics seeking medical care, and Hispanics giving birth, it is necessary for nurses to be aware of, acknowledge, and adapt to the culture in order to provide satisfactory, adequate …show more content…
Many Hispanic women fear potential unnecessary and/or invasive interventions performed in the clinical setting. This includes a great fear of Caesarean Sections. Such feelings of apprehension often result in frequently cancelling prenatal visits and, furthermore, opting to labor at home, avoiding the hospital until the very last minute (Baxley & Ibitayo, 2015). Because of this, anxiety related to the unknown or an unfamiliar environment is important for the nurse to address.
To begin with, the nurse must gather sufficient information through assessment to determine if his/her Hispanic patient is suffering from anxiety. This goes beyond simple inquiry or direct questioning. According to Hinton and Hoffman (2014), Hispanics are less likely to admit to or outwardly express feelings of anxiety. Thus, the nurse should assess vital signs and non-verbal cues including jitteriness (fidgeting hands or tapping feet) and infrequent eye contact (Hinton & Hoffman,