Lake Health, a facility located in Lake County, Ohio, services many Hispanics with their healthcare. At Lake Health, there is no current ongoing cultural competence training, and this needs to change. The ideal action plan for Lake Health is to develop an effective educational or training program to help create an environment that supports ongoing cultural competency (book). According to Health Research & Educational Trust (2013), a educational program that gives a lasting awareness and understanding by hospital staff includes many factors. An ideal educational program includes the components of cultural assessment, multiple training methods, ongoing education, and measurement and tracking (Health Research & Educational Trust, 2013). After receiving adequate teaching, there will be the potential for improved health outcomes, increasing the knowledge of clinical and support staff, resulting in higher patient satisfaction scores (Anderson et al., 2003). It is important to realize that the process of Lake Health becoming culturally competent is not an overnight process, but a lifelong journey (Perez book) Epidemiology The Hispanic population is 65% more likely to be diabetic and 45% higher chance of dying from diabetes than non-Hispanic whites (FamiliesUSA, 2014). Though, Hispanics diagnosed with diabetes has lowered since 1988 from 26.3% of the Hispanic population to 18.3% in 2010, it is not a fact to be ignored. This population is growing and needs interventions that work (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). After diagnosis, many Hispanics are not under good glycemic control. This is concerning because Diabetes is a self- managed disease and when managed well, medication can be prevented. Diabetes, if left untreated, will lead the patient down a path of other chronic problems like kidney disease, blindness, nontraumatic lower limb amputations, and cardiac disease (DeCoster and Cummings, 2005, p. 259). Nurses need to become culturally competent to understand the Hispanic culture to realize what interventions may be effective within their culture. Strengths of Lake Health Providing health information to Latinos in their preferred cultural values is recommended (Lopez-Class & Jurkowski, 2010).
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Lake Health does a fine job at serving the low literate Hispanics with providing a translation service and Spanish literature. Patients who use translation services received more recommended preventative services, had more office visits, and more prescriptions written and filled (Towns, 2013). Many of Lake Health’s educational materials can easily be translated and printed in Spanish. This leads one to the belief, once institutions follow the CLAS standard of Communication and Language assistance; there may be a higher quality of care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, 2015). The need for health promotion As a result, time in the United States has a negative effect on the health of immigrant Hispanic women and their families (Sanchez-Birkhead, et. al, 2011). Interestingly, those who have been in the US more than five years experience an increase in obesity, hypertension and heart disease (Sanchez-Birkhead, et. al, 2011). This tells us that a need for health promotion in this culture is recommended. Without health promotion, other comorbidities may exist, leading to a shorter lifespan (Towns, 2013). Health promotion will make the Hispanics aware of their diabetes diagnosis, and understand how to treat themselves. It is recommended that those in a vulnerable population, like Hispanics, have diabetes self management needs that are understood in the socioenviornmental context that they reside in (Lopez-Class & Jurkowski, 2010). A nurses that designs a health promotion program for the culturally diverse population need to learn to choose …show more content…
I do not hesitate to care for the Hispanic patients because it is very common and over the past 13 years, I have learned their customs.
I will adapt many of the concepts I have learned in this course. For example, when needing a translator, I will always use the language line before the patient’s family member. If I know the patient is Spanish speaking, I will have the language line ready so I do not offend any family members.
Beyond the Hispanic culture, my own cultural competency is very poor. I am a white female and I have been in the same city my entire life. I would not consider my nursing career sheltered because I have gone into bad areas of town and seen the health disparities that exist here in Cleveland, Ohio. Though, many of the culture are African American or
Lake Health does a fine job at serving the low literate Hispanics with providing a translation service and Spanish literature. Patients who use translation services received more recommended preventative services, had more office visits, and more prescriptions written and filled (Towns, 2013). Many of Lake Health’s educational materials can easily be translated and printed in Spanish. This leads one to the belief, once institutions follow the CLAS standard of Communication and Language assistance; there may be a higher quality of care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, 2015). The need for health promotion As a result, time in the United States has a negative effect on the health of immigrant Hispanic women and their families (Sanchez-Birkhead, et. al, 2011). Interestingly, those who have been in the US more than five years experience an increase in obesity, hypertension and heart disease (Sanchez-Birkhead, et. al, 2011). This tells us that a need for health promotion in this culture is recommended. Without health promotion, other comorbidities may exist, leading to a shorter lifespan (Towns, 2013). Health promotion will make the Hispanics aware of their diabetes diagnosis, and understand how to treat themselves. It is recommended that those in a vulnerable population, like Hispanics, have diabetes self management needs that are understood in the socioenviornmental context that they reside in (Lopez-Class & Jurkowski, 2010). A nurses that designs a health promotion program for the culturally diverse population need to learn to choose …show more content…
I do not hesitate to care for the Hispanic patients because it is very common and over the past 13 years, I have learned their customs.
I will adapt many of the concepts I have learned in this course. For example, when needing a translator, I will always use the language line before the patient’s family member. If I know the patient is Spanish speaking, I will have the language line ready so I do not offend any family members.
Beyond the Hispanic culture, my own cultural competency is very poor. I am a white female and I have been in the same city my entire life. I would not consider my nursing career sheltered because I have gone into bad areas of town and seen the health disparities that exist here in Cleveland, Ohio. Though, many of the culture are African American or