Successful communication between healthcare providers and their patients from different cultural backgrounds

depends on developing awareness of the normative cultural values of patients and how these differ from the cultural

values of most western medical professionals. When cultural differences are poorly understood, a variety of adverse

clinical outcomes may result: reduced participation in preventive screenings, delayed immunizations, inaccurate

histories, use of harmful remedies, non-compliance, and decreased satisfaction with care” (Carteret, 2011).

There are many cultural considerations to be aware of while interviewing Sue Li who is of Asian American ethnicity.

The Asian community as a whole is conservative no matter the sex of the person. Sue Li should first be asked if she

would prefer to speak with a male or female nurse. Since the patient is only 20 years old there may be some resistance

in communication. The Asian Community has a strong bond with family. Their family extends to include all relatives not

just immediate members. Loyalty is expected within the family, and dishonor or disgrace is not tolerated. Self-control is

Assignment: Normative Values of Patients

expected from all family members this demonstrates stamina and strength in crisis. In the healthcare setting Sue Li

may be unwilling to show strong emotions, pain, or grief because of cultural values. Cultural beliefs about health and

sickness often conflict with Western medicine, which prevent some Asian-Americans from seeking help for symptoms

or sticking with treatment. Another important consideration the nurse must check for is that Sue understands what she

is being educated about. There may be a language barrier. Sue Li may give the nurse a gesture as though she

understands when she is actually confused about her diagnosis or treatments. It will help if the nurse avoids asking yes

or no questions. The nurse must also give the patient time if she wants to confer with her family. Unfortunately this can

be time consuming and possibly delay care but building a trusting relationship is essential when dealing with different

cultures (Carteret, 2011).

The Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS) was created for the detection of abuse in pregnant women, and it is the oldest

screening tool used today. It consists from three to five questions, and is also used to increase documentation in

medical records. The questions assess physical, sexual, and emotional abuse prior to and during pregnancy. The AAS isusually conducted by the nurse but can be conducted other members of the hospital such as, counselors, physicians,

or nutritionists. The tool is even translated into different languages, and it also includes body maps for documentation

of injuries (Women’s Health, 2009).

If abuse is discovered the nurse should not only report it but offer support to Sue Li. The nurse can provide her with

resources to receive help and education. For instance, a nurse could give Sue Li the phone number of a domestic

violence hotline. Also, the nurse may show Sue to a phone and an opportunity to make the call. After the nurse

assesses Sue’s home environment and determines if it is safe the nurse can refer her to a battered women’s shelter.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE, is an excellent source for both patients and nurses. These

sources will allow the nurse to give Sue Li additional knowledge, encouragement, and the assurance that she can come

back to the hospital for additional help (Carteret, 2011).

Reference

Carteret, Marcia, M. ED. (2011). Cultural Values of Asian Patients and Families. Retrieved from:

Cultural Values of Asian Patients and Families

(2009). Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC). Retrieved from:

http://www.womenshealthsection.com/content/vaw/vaw011php3

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

 

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.