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Have you had an experience with the healthcare system where you did not feel your cultural beliefs were properly supported. One example that comes strait to mind is that of an indigenous women was forced to go outside by wheelchair in -20C weather to leave the Ottawa Hospital's property so she could perform a smudging ceremony. The hospital later apologized. This is a perfect learning opportunity. The hospital reported that staff has no idea what smudging was (Crawford, 2019) This thread is not a place for ranting, but a place to get out in the open, what knowledge is lacking, and what systems are not working. We need to acknowledge the mistakes if we are ever going to learn from them. When you read an example, think, what could we do differently? Reference: Crawford, B. (2019) Hospital asks forgiveness after Indigenous smudging ceremony forced outside into -20 C cold. The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved from: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/hospital-asks-forgiveness-after-indigenous-smudging-ceremony-forced-outside-into-20-c-cold

Hello! This is a thread to discuss global trends and how they relate to culture. Some examples are changes in diet related to globalization. This has been occurring for centuries. According the World Health Organization, Diabetes is in the top ten causes for death worldwide (2018). Changes in diet can be directly linked to globalization. Another global trend that has a cultural root is the anti-vaxx movement. Diseases once though eradicated are now springing up. This stems from the “all natural/organic” culture that started gaining a following in the early 2000s.  What trend have you heard about? What do you think we can do to promote positive trends and deter the negative ones? Reference: World health Organization. (2018) State of global health. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/state-of-global-health

Hello! This thread is to discuss cultural frameworks. What they are and how to use them! I will start by explaining the basics of two. Have you ever used a theoretical framework to assess you patients?  Theoretical frameworks can be very helpful, but they do not need to be complicated. For example, the Campinha-Bacote model simplifies the assessment into the acronym ASKED A- Awareness of self and others S- Skills of assessment and communication K- Knowledge about cultural similarities and differences E- Encounter – Expose to different cultures D- Desire- The will to be culturally competent (Wasekeesikaw & Perley-Dutcher, 2013) The Culture Care Framework that was developed by Rani Srivastava looks at a more theoretical approach to culture. It goes into greater depth. The 3 domains of the framework are Cultural Sensitivity, Cultural Knowledge and Cultural Resources.  These domains illustrate the need for a multifactorial approach that blends awareness (of self and others), feelings and attitudes, concrete cultural knowledge, and system resources to produce culturally congruent care (Srivastava 2007) Reference: Srivastava (Ed.). (2007) The Health care professional’s guide to clinical competence. Toronto, ON: Mosby Elsevier Wasekeesikaw, F.H. & Perley-Dutcher, L. (2013) Understanding aboriginal health: What all nurses need to know. Canadian Nurses Association. [PDF] retrieved from: https://www.cna-aiic.ca/-/media/cna/page-content/pdf- fr/aboriginal_health_june2013_e.pdf? la=en&hash=C2895AA742B59412DC25AB38D368524FAEF5D711