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Answering the Call
Exploring Canadian Indigenous History and Culture from a Nursing Perspective with a Focus on Promoting Culturally Competency.
#24
Providing Culturally Competent Care
Purnell Model of Care
The Purnell Model of Care is a great starting point and is not specific to any one culture. I like this model as it incorporates all aspects of life.
The center is black as there is always some unknown. That sets each of us apart as we all experience our culture different. No two people will be the same.
The inner circle are 12 factors that affect our lives and how we exist and interact in society. These are determining factors. They are internal
The First ring represents the Person. There are also rings for the Family, Community and the Global Society as each of these are factors that affect how a person experiences there culture. (NASN, 2013)
First Steps
The very first thing you need to do before entering into an assessment is to reflect on your own values and beliefs. What assumptions do you have before going in. Awareness is important to preventing bias and stereotyping. (Srivastava, 2007)
The next most important thing a health care provider can do is listen. Be open to what the person has to say. Be aware of power differentials. From personal experience, people are much more comfortable if you can take a position where you are equal to, or lower than they are. Remember, in patient centered care you are entering into a partnership.
Be open to new ideas. many people choose to use complementary therapies. As healthcare professionals, we can sometimes get wrapped up in the need for evidence and discount anything that is not tested and peer-reviewed. Just because we do not understand something, doesn't mean it is not valuable. (Srivastava, 2007)
Be aware of history. There is a lot of context to a situation that can be directly related to history. For example with Indigenous groups, it is very important to understand the history of colonization, residential schools and the development of Child and Family Services.
Ottawa's Wabano Centre: Teaching on Indigenous Culture
When I began my research I found some amazing videos produced by The Wabano Centre designed for training new staff. These videos are an excellent place to start learning about Indigenous Culture and how to practice culturally safe care. They highlight the need to incorporate culture into all aspects of health and give a number of examples on how they have achieved greater success by doing so. I recommend anyone who may see indigenous patients to watch these videos.
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