Introduction
In healthcare, culture remains an integral entity defining nursing practice for nurses. This paper analyzes cultural dimensions that shape nursing practices, especially in the Native American healthcare system. It shows how such cultural influences play a significant part in major transitions in life, particularly in cases of birth or death in those communities. This essay, being a study of the cultural perspectives and challenges of the patients from these communities in the US healthcare system, would set out the significance of providing culturally sensitive nursing care. The film highlights the importance of changes and understanding in nursing by diving into healthcare culture, looking at birthing or death-related practices, and juxtaposing them against healthcare delivery. Finally, this paper is meant to offer the tools to design nursing services that will allow nurses to successfully address cultural differences while providing positive experiences and better results for the Native American people.
Description of Native American Communities
Many artists covering many languages and traditions have been successful on the lands of the North American Communities for so long. Traditional communities range from tribes to reservations nationwide, which harbour several tribes differing in culture and belief, which all influence their adherence to traditional healthcare traditions (Isaac et al., 2018). With deep-rooted cultures and spiritual connections which go down to the land, Native American cultures have been constructed of many elements, like ancestral teachings, tribal autonomy, and also interactions with settler colonialism. These communities have culturally defined health care interwoven with spiritualism, communal entity, and traditional healing methods passed from ancestors. Ceremonies render deep meaning. For example, Sweat Lodge and Sun Dance do that regarding physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Further, herbal medications, smudge ceremonies, and traditional healers discharge many functions and may serve as a means to address various health issues.
According to Jansen et al. (2023), Even though native lands and culture remained unbroken for decades to come, Native peoples faced, and still face poor health and challenges in getting good health care services. The clients’ psychological history, structural racism, and insufficient resources serve as perpetuating factors in healthcare outcome inequality. Another thing to note is that the conflict when traditional Medical practices clash with Western medicine quickly becomes a different cultural problem in the healthcare sector. Understanding the Native American cultures, which are multifaceted and will challenge diversity, is a significant factor in successful cultural competency in nursing care because it respects traditional treatment methods and integrates them with modern medicine.
Cultural Practices Related to Birth or Death
For the natives, the birth of a newborn or the death of a loved one is sacred by their customs, which are very involved with their spiritual views, values and practices handed to them by their ancestors (Jansen et al., 2023). Life gives way to death and death to the new life on the sacred passage, which we call the circle of life. Traditional midwives or medicine women tend to play a critical role in intervening holistically by caring for the women on both physical and emotional levels, as well as spiritual ones. Ceremonies like the Navajo’s “Sacred Blessing Way” celebrate the mother’s journey and bless her delivery for her child’s safety to come into the world. The rituals for death in the Native Americans are also very sacred and part of the spirit’s journey to life after death. Rituals in the burial rites differ from tribe to tribe but listen to the Leonard Estate Grave Protection in the Lakota tradition or Apache Nahan Ceremony. According to Lillie et al. (2020), prayers and many other traditions give the bereaved peace of mind and direct the departed soul as it continues its journey (Jansen et al., 2023). As a result, adjusting nursing care to adopt and honour these cultural practices is fundamental to approaching patient-centred care with much cultural competence.
Potential Conflicts in the US Healthcare System
As for the US healthcare system, the integration of Native American religious beliefs concerning birth or death may have some reservations deriving from various worldviews, approaches, institutional policies, and overall approaches toward the management of pain (Lillie et al., 2020). Native American tribes tend to rely on their language of healers, recipes of medicinal herbs, and spiritual ceremonies to deal with health-related issues. Hence, this communication gap may be related to misunderstandings or opposition from the healthcare providers, which in turn may reduce the quality of care and an obstacle between the patient and the doctor (Isaac et al., 2018). Native American culture may be unrecognized or neglected by healthcare institutions, having low investments in cultural training or development of resources, leading to language barriers, inappropriate education on the ceremonial or spiritual side and also a lack of empathy at crucial points in life such as death or marriages.
The gap between healthcare services furnished to whites and the dismal state of healthcare offered to Native Americans contributes to injustices in healthcare outcomes. It reinforces mistrust between Native Americans and the healthcare system (Lillie et al., 2020). This problem can be solved by developing and applying cultural competence by healthcare providers, creating contact between traditional medicine and modern medicine, and promoting and developing policies focusing on culturally adequate health delivery among Native American communities. Through the awareness and understanding of cultural differences, the healthcare providers will be able to reconcile varying opinions and be accessible and welcoming to the patients by delivering culturally and family-based care that aligns with the cultural dishonesty and preferences of the Native American Individuals.
Adapting Nursing Care to Minimize Cultural Conflicts
To overcome high levels of cultural disputes and to provide culturally competent nursing to Native American people, nurses should integrate a comprehensive approach that gives respect to indigenous traditional health practices and blends them with advanced medical technology (Jansen et al., 2023). The aim is to actively listen to the expressed problems, respect their culture, work with them, and make care plans that respond to their desires (Lillie et al., 2020). Through the synchronization between the traditional healers and Western medical practitioners, nurses, in that regard, are in the best position to ensure that the patient is provided with holistic care, which is addressed spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This is about healing practices, religious ceremonies, and mourning etiquette traditions at birth and ending at death. By incorporating this knowledge into their practice routine, nurses can sensitively employ cross-cultural interfaces and provide respectful care to Native American patients, aligning with their cultural values and wishes (Isaac et al., 2018). Therefore, becoming aware of cultural differences and adjusting nursing practices to accommodate the distinct healthcare expectancies of the Native American community can decrease conflict and help to macreateositive healthcare encounters that result in better health achievement and trust with caregivers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cultural influence on nursing care of Native American communities shows that the primary focus should be gained by understanding, respecting, and adapting to different native cultures when providing healthcare. Native American communities, which are highly identified with their cultural background rooted in traditional history, spiritual world and communal ties, make essential steps in significant life changes involving the birth of new life and passing on. Indigenous healthcare systems that were based on ancient beliefs and spirituality and valued reciprocity and interconnectedness of all beings were used to promote their physical health and a sense of belonging now and into the next generations. To overcome these hurdles, the nurses have to incline themselves to cultural competence, ensure the bonds of trust with Native American patients and their relatives are maintained, and also promote harmony of traditional healing practices in medical settings. While education, collaboration, and advocacy remain the tools nurses can use to continue providing culturally competent care and health as the first right for all people, the medical background, not race or culture, makes the difference.
References
Isaac, G., Finn, S., Joe, J. R., Hoover, E., Gone, J. P., Lefthand-Begay, C., & Hill, S. (2018). Native American perspectives on health and traditional ecological knowledge. Environmental health perspectives, 126(12), 125002. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/abs/10.1289/ehp1944
Lillie, K. M., Dirks, L. G., Curtis, J. R., Candrian, C., Kutner, J. S., & Shaw, J. L. (2020). Culturally adapting an advanced care planning communication intervention with American Indian and Alaska Native people in primary care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(2), 178–187. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1043659619859055
Jansen, K. J., Shaw, J. L., Comtois, K. A., Elliott-Groves, E., Slaney, T., Avey, J. P., … & CARE Phase 1 Study Team. (2023). Culturally adapting caring contacts for suicide prevention in four Alaska Native and American Indian communities. Archives of suicide research, 27(1), 89–106. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811118.2021.1967820
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