Cultural Advocacy in Healthcare: Applying Transcultural Nursing Theory to Patient-Provider Communication
Overview
This paper examines a case study of a Somali patient refusing surgery with a young resident surgeon and requesting an older, more experienced physician. The author applies Madeleine Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory to argue that healthcare providers must respect cultural beliefs and preferences regarding practitioner demographics to improve patient outcomes and trust.
What this coursework covers
- Introduction and case scenario describing patient refusal and resident frustration
- Application of Leininger's Transcultural Nursing Theory addressing cultural beliefs about age and medical experience
- Analysis and recommendations for integrating cultural preferences into surgical care protocols
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Cultural Advocacy
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Cultural Advocacy
A 23-year old of Somali origin walks into the emergency department lamenting of severe pain in her abdomen. Imaging results show that she needs urgent surgery to remove her inflamed appendix. A young surgical resident arrives and speaks with her about the importance of undertaking the surgery. Still, she refuses it despite acknowledging that she understands everything the young surgeon told her. Instead, she asks whether an older and more experienced surgeon will talk about the surgery with her. The young resident surgeon gets frustrated and tells her that he has performed over 100 such surgeries and that another doctor will provide her with the same information. (Madeleine Leininger’s Transcultural Nursing Theory)
I picked Madeleine Leininger’s Transcultural Nursing Theory because it addresses the cultural beliefs that different people hold. The theory acknowledges that various cultures have to vary caring behaviors, values, and patterns of behaviors. It accepts that different cultures have different believes about getting treatments from young people or medical practitioners with specific demographic qualities (Wayne, 2014). The young resident’s surgeon's action of getting frustrated and telling the patient that it would make no difference to call for another doctor was uncalled for. Surgery is a serious problem that needs the patient’s mind to be free and accept everything about it. This increases the chance of a successful surgery session.