The perception of pain and behaviors associated with pain are influenced by the sociocultural contexts of the individuals experiencing pain. This article provides an overview of the literature on these cultural influences. With the increase in global migration, nurses need to develop increased sensitivity to the influence of culture on pain perceptions and behaviors. In the provision of home he...

With a large and increasing culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population, the Australian health care system faces challenges in the provision of accessible culturally competent health care. Communities at higher risk of chronic disease include CALD communities. Overseas, multicultural health workers (MHWs) have been increasingly integrated in the delivery of culturally relevant prima...

The Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Service was established to improve the health of Aboriginal women during pregnancy and decrease perinatal morbidity and mortality for Aboriginal babies. The Service is delivered through a continuity-of-care model, where midwives and Aboriginal Health Workers collaborate to provide a high quality maternity service that is culturally sensitive, women cent...

PURPOSE This ethnography is aimed at describing the care-giving practices of the nuclear family and relatives of the elderly within a clan village in relation to their socio-cultural context. Four basic notions of the study came from Leininger's culture care theory and the nurse-client negotiation model of Anderson. In order to understand the cultural system of caring, the following questions w...

America is a multi-cultural society. Yet, there are cultural dimensions to the clinician-patient relationship that have not been systematically addressed in medical education or in clinical practice. Lack of diversity and lack of cross-cultural skills in the medical profession may contribute to health disparities in America. Cultural competence for the medical profession represents a core set o...

The United States is increasingly ethnically diverse. To provide culturally congruent care to this changing population, nursing programs must attract and support ethnically diverse students through to successful completion of the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. Critically examining the literature on this topic revealed three themes: need for a diverse nursing workf...

Immigration from Latin America is changing the demographics of the United States. By the year 2050, one of every four persons in the United States will be of Hispanic ethnicity. As this segment of American society grows, interventions that improve health status for these individuals must be expanded and enhanced. HIV infection disproportionately affects people in the Hispanic community. Hispani...

1. The Chinese version of the Self-care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) and the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS) are culturally sensitive and conceptually relevant to measure self-care of Chinese heart failure patients. 2. The reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the SCHFI and EHFScBS are sufficient to support their use in clinical and research contexts. 3...

This article explores health disparities and the effects of race and ethnicity on health care quality. It emphasizes the importance of cross-cultural training and two areas that can make a difference in delivering health care services to minorities: 1) establishing national guidelines and standards for culturally competent care; and 2) improving the healthcare educational pipeline and incorpora...

Effective communication between patients and health care providers is a critical element to quality health care. Becoming aware of patients' attitudes, beliefs, biases, and behaviors that may influence patient care can help clinicians improve access to and quality of care. Health care providers should develop a strategic plan for improvement, then implement and evaluate the plan to include stru...