Culture and spiritual standing of a client form the basis for values and opinions. Culture and religious beliefs go on to influence many other facets of life including communication between a patient and nurse during a medical session. Currently, nurses force themselves to tailor treatment according to a patient's cultural beliefs and spiritual norms. More so, a nurse has to pay close attention to nonverbal cues and body language to ensure that he or she is on the same page with a client. Communicating without considering a patient's beliefs may end up distorting understanding of the treatment they are to undertake (Tian, et.al, 2014).
Communication is two-way traffic that needs to consider spiritual and traditional ways of a patient. In a situation where a patient follows their religious beliefs closely, a nurse commits to communicating precise words and arranges them in the way that a client can see that the nurse adhered to all his or her beliefs. For instance, if a patient is against the use of marijuana during treatment, a nurse has to make sure that whenever he or she administers a medication, the patient is aware of the content that makes up the prescription. This confirmation means that the nurse has to maintain confidentiality and integrate the belief in everything she does (Tian, et.al, 2014).
One thing about culture is its capability to create a sharp difference in ways of doing things. Consequently, a caregiver has to ensure that he or she uses the knowledge they get from a patient and incorporate it his or her communication. Fusing a patient's spiritual and cultural beliefs into dialogue pulls other things into place. For instance, a nurse will be able to know the positives and the negatives of the culture and align different values closely associated with that particular set of beliefs. So joining helps to generate other sensitivity and avoiding hard words that a patient may not be familiar with during the s therapeutic session (Ogle, Megehee, & Woodside, 2009).
Spiritual beliefs may not seem hefty but might result changing and restating of statements to avoid messages that might offend a patient is not a new thing to caregivers. Most religions tend to view some comments and suggestions as abusive or as a signal of disrespect. In light of these contrasts, a nurse may have to practice the use of polite words that show respect and concern. On the other hand, seeking clarity with a patient before proceeding with a medical procedure is an essential part of engaging the patient in their beliefs and concerns (Ogle, Megehee, & Woodside, 2009).
To some patients, privacy and observation of personal space are in line with their spiritual and cultural beliefs. A nurse has to utilize simple words to pass their message through or carry out some research to validate and invalidate how to handle various cultural norms (Ogle, Megehee, & Woodside, 2009).
One of the main predicaments about beliefs is that they vary from one person to another. Not to mention, each will apply their cultural and spiritual beliefs differently from another person who holds the same set of beliefs. This variance creates a situation where one has to use a general rule to show support, concern, and care while at the same communicating with empathy and support to a patient. For relevance and understanding that puts language into a universal ground perspective and connect the nurse with a patient, the nurse has to ensure that he or she has a clue of the beliefs of the patient (Tian, et.al, 2014).
References
Tian, K., Sautter, P., Fisher, D., Fischbach, S., Luna-Nevarez, C., Boberg, K., & ... Vann, R. (2014). Transforming Health Care: Empowering Therapeutic Communities through Technology-Enhanced Narratives. Journal Of Consumer Research, 41(2), 237-260. Doi: 10.1086/676311
Ogle A., Megehee, C., & Woodside, A. G. (2009). Perspectives on Cross-Cultural, Ethnographic, Brand Image, Storytelling, Unconscious Needs, and Hospitality Guest Research. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
