Introduction
As the number and diversity of patients all over the globe is growing, there has been a high demand for caregivers and healthcare providers. Effective nursing practice, however, requires that a nurse or any health care provider understands the culture of their patient for them to progress with the treatment. The US has over many years received visitors from all over the world hence forming a society with different cultures-each culture with its customs, values, and beliefs. Understanding the culture and beliefs of patients from different cultures would not be sufficient research. Nurses and other medical practitioners must also be involved in such a research since the healthcare system is made up of different cultural communities (Abad et al., 2014). Filipino cultural heritage is one of the minor cultures in the US but at the same time significant. This research, therefore, focuses on the Filipino values, behaviors, and beliefs that affect their attitude during healthcare provision.
Interview and Description of the Cultural Assessment
Interviewer: Please tell me more about your Filipino culture and when you came to the US.
Interviewee: I guess there is a lot to talk about our culture especially when it comes to our beliefs, values, and behaviors. Filipinos started coming to the US way back in 1587 and the population has since expanded. Most were escaping the Spanish rule back at home and the US seemed the immediate safest place. The immigration continued up until the 1990s when the Spanish American war came to an end and so our people decided or circumstances forced them to remain under US territory.
Interviewer: On matters of health, as a Filipino nurse, does your culture have specific genetic diseases considered to be more prevalent compared to other cultures?
Interviewee: From my experience as a Filipino nurse in the US, our people suffer from five main genetic diseases common to other cultures as well. They include diabetes, down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and hyperthyroidism. These are common diseases even to the US natives hence not so uniquely different.
Interviewer: As a nurse from the Filipino heritage, do you ever experience language barrier in your communication with fellow Americans and Filipinos in your day to day practice?
Interviewee: Such is a rare case for me. I have been brought up in America hence I understand the American English very well. I also do speak my mother tongue with fellow Filipinos. There is a time I, however, experienced a language barrier when handling a Chinese patient but that was only once.
Interviewer: As a culture, what cultural development considerations do you still have?
Interviewee: Back at home there are lots of cultural development considerations. However, here in America, we have almost become one with the native Americans-having been assimilated into their culture and traditions.
Interviewer: Please share some more about a family setup in the Filipino culture.
Interviewee: As I previously stated, as an individual, and my family, we tend to do things as the Native Americans do them. From what I understand, however, our culture still considers men as the head of the family and the principal wage earner. With the rising of liberalism, some women are opting to raise children without the aid of a father which do not believe is productive to the children.
Interviewer: As an individual, what are your cultural affiliations in America?
Interviewee: I was born in the late 1980s here in America. Both my parents migrated from the Philippines. Since then, they have even purchased a number of private properties here in America. From my observation, they have been affiliated with the Americans and so am I.
Interviewer: Despite having been brought up here in America, your parents are both from Filipinos and must have shared with you a lot about your native culture. What can you say about religion and spirituality of your culture especially when it comes to illnesses?
Interviewee: First, we believe that there is a supreme being who keeps watching over us. We believe that whenever one falls sick, it is God’s will hence he alone determines whether the person heals or not. Our culture also believes in people given spiritual powers to heal certain illnesses. Higher church ranking people are also believed to have powers to heal the sick.
Interviewer: As a nurse, do you believe that your cultural kinship and social networks influence a fellow Filipino’s response to health and illness?
Interviewee: I believe that is true because every culture has its own perception of life. It is what our culture believes in that either makes us recover and be able to live longer on average compared to most other cultures.
Interviewer: As we conclude this interview, what are your thoughts, values, and beliefs about health and illnesses?
Interviewee: I believe as a nurse I have the responsibility to ensure am healthy before I can administer treatment to another patient. I believe that God created us all and that he always wants us to stay healthy and strong. Finally, I believe that most current killer illnesses in America are not genetic. They originate from our failure to take care of our own health.
Recommendations for Culturally Competent Care
For a better health care system, clinicians should use a common language. It is not enough to understand a language. One must also be able to speak it with their patients as it aids in acquiring a precise diagnosis. In addition, it is recommended that every member of the family takes care of each other intend of wanting to weigh the burden on a single individual. Children and the elderly in the Filipino culture are an important group of people that have to be taken good care of. Importantly, evidence-based healthcare requires that clinicians respect the beliefs, values, and behavior of each of their patients despite the difference in their cultures.
Personal Reflections on the Interview
The choice of a Filipino nurse was awesome because she understands the culture both as a nurse and as a patient at some point in her life. From the way she answered the questions, she seemed a little prudent, but as time progressed she opened up more. It’s understood that she knows the healthcare and her work as a nurse to care for a patient with cultural sensitivity. The answers she gave were accurate and she answered the questions without any kind of struggle. She explained everything very detailed and it was interesting to hear her points of views. Generally, the mission of the interview was successfully achieved.
Lessons from the Interview
First, Filipino migrants are among the oldest migrants to the United States. Despite being the oldest, they still maintain their cultural beliefs and values. Secondly, indeed understanding a culture is useful in the proper administration of treatment to a patient. As a medical practitioner, without an interpreter, it would be difficult to in the first place to understand what the patient is suffering from hence effective communication is important. Thirdly, religious beliefs may affect the administering of treatment not only to the Filipino patients but also any other culture. What one believes in their mind affects their response to treatment administered on them thus the usefulness of religion in healthcare.
Conclusion
In summary, from time to time articles have been published by different journalists praising the Filipino culture for the way it organizes itself. The Filipino culture is now acculturated into the US society after migrating to the US many years ago for different reasons. An interview was conducted on a Filipino nurse residing and practicing in the United States. Religious beliefs, communication and the role of family in healthcare all affect a patient’s response to treatment.
References
Abad, P. J., Tan, M. L., Baluyot, M. M., Villa, A. Q., Talapian, G. L., Reyes, M. E., … Laurino, M. Y. (2014). Cultural beliefs on disease causation in the Philippines: challenge and implications in genetic counseling. Journal of Community Genetics, 5(4), 399-407. doi:10.1007/s12687-014-0193-1
Ordonez, R. V., & Gandeza, N. (2004). Integrating Traditional Beliefs and Modern Medicine: Filipino Nurses’ Health Beliefs, Behaviors, and Practices. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 17(1), 22-27. doi:10.1177/1084822304268152