HLT 306 Effect of Patient Education in Healthcare Assignment

Communication and Patient Education

Multicultural Communication and Its Origins

Multicultural communication is the exchange of information, principles, and ideas between people from diverse cultural backgrounds and races. It involves understanding and respecting the differences in cultural norms, values, beliefs, and communication styles and adapting one’s communication to accommodate these differences. Back in the early 20th century, linguistic anthropologists studied different cultures and languages, and this marked the beginning of multicultural communication (Steve et al., 2020). It gained more prominence in the 1960s and 1970s, as the Civil Rights movement in the United States and other social movements worldwide brought attention to the importance of diversity and cultural understanding, especially in healthcare (Steve et al., 2020).

As globalization and migration increased worldwide, multicultural communication was adopted in many areas, including business, education, healthcare, and international diplomacy, including the adoption of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish UN official languages. Effective multicultural communication requires knowledge of cultural differences and the ability to communicate effectively in a variety of cultural contexts (Steve et al., 2020). It also involves recognizing and addressing cultural biases and stereotypes that can hinder communication and relationships between individuals from different cultures.

Culture, Ethnicity, and Acculturation

Culture, ethnicity, and acculturation are concepts that are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings and implications for intercultural communication and understanding. Culture is the shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a specific group or society (Mason, 2019). Culture is learned and inherited through socialization and communication and shapes individuals’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Culture is associated with nationality, geography, religion, language, or profession. 

Ethnicity is a shared sense of identity based on common ancestry, history, language, culture, or religion (Hamer et al., 2020). It is used to classify people based on their physical or cultural traits. Ethnicity can influence an individual’s worldview and communication style and impact their interactions with members of other ethnic groups. Acculturation is the process of adapting to a new culture or merging cultures and involves changes in attitudes, values, beliefs, behaviors, and communication styles as individuals and groups interact with members of another culture (Chen et al., 2022). 

This can occur voluntarily or involuntarily and leads to either positive or negative outcomes, depending on the circumstances and the attitudes of the individuals involved. Cultural and ethnic differences can impact communication and understanding between individuals and groups. Acculturation does play a role in shaping communication and relationship dynamics.

How Cultural and Religious Differences Affect the Health Care Professional and the Issues That Can Arise In Cross-cultural Communications

Culture influences health and healthcare through health beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations. For example, cultural values influence a patient’s decision to seek medical care and the level of trust in healthcare professionals (Shahin et al., 2019). Cultural beliefs also influence communication styles, nonverbal cues, and the interpretation of symptoms and health problems; thus, understanding cultural differences is essential to provide effective care and establish trust and rapport with patients. 

Religious beliefs also influence medical decision-making, including decisions about treatment options and end-of-life care. Additionally, nurses need to be aware of religious practices that may affect healthcare outcomes, such as fasting or the use of herbal remedies. Communication barriers related to cultural and religious differences can lead to misunderstandings, delays in diagnosis and treatment, and adverse health outcomes.

Family Culture and Its Effect on Patient Education

Family culture refers to the shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that characterize a particular family. Family culture influences how patients perceive health and illness and how they make healthcare decisions and manage their health (Kumar et al., 2019). In some cultures, healthcare decisions are made collectively by the family rather than by the individual patient. In such cases, it is important for healthcare professionals to involve family members in the education process and to address their concerns and questions. 

Cultural beliefs and values also influence patient education in terms of health behaviors and treatment preferences. For example, in some cultures, traditional herbal remedies may be preferred over conventional medicine, or certain foods may be believed to have healing properties. Understanding these beliefs and incorporating them into patient education can help to build trust and facilitate adherence to treatment plans (Kumar et al., 2019).

Approaches The Health Care Professional Use To Address Religious And Cultural Diversity

Healthcare professionals can use a range of approaches to address religious and cultural diversity, such as receiving training on cultural and religious diversity, including learning about different belief systems, customs, and values of different cultures to help to increase their awareness and understanding of cultural differences and improve communication and patient care. Other approaches include providing care that is tailored to the individual patient’s needs and preferences, taking into account their cultural and religious beliefs and values, and collaborating with community resources to provide culturally appropriate care, such as community health workers, religious leaders, or cultural associations (Beaulieu et al., 2019).

Types of Illiteracy

1. Literal illiteracy (Zhang, 2021)
2. Cultural illiteracy
3. Racial illiteracy
4. Numerical illiteracy

Illiteracy as a Disability

Illiteracy is often considered a disability because it can limit a patient’s ability to participate fully in society and to access education, employment, healthcare, and other basic services. Illiteracy can also lead to social exclusion and isolation, which can have negative impacts on mental health and well-being (Zhang, 2021). Illiteracy is considered a learning disability because it affects a patient’s ability to learn and process health information. Illiteracy is addressed through accommodations and support through specialized educational programs and assistive technologies, like text-to-speech software (Zhang, 2021).

Myths about Illiteracy

• Literacy does not have an impact on the level of health and well-being (Schulz & Nakamoto, 2022)
• The ability to read translates to literacy 
• The more the level of education, the better literacy
• Illiteracy is a problem only in developing countries
• Illiterate people cannot learn

How to Assess Literacy Skills and Evaluate Written Material for Readability

Assessing literacy skills allows nurses to understand their patients’ reading abilities and provide appropriate materials comprehensible to patients. Nurses can use screening tools, such as the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) or the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), to quickly assess patients’ reading abilities, observe patients’ behaviors during the appointment, such as how they fill out forms or read educational materials, to gain a better understanding of their reading abilities, and directly ask patients about their reading abilities (Šulinskaitė et al., 2022). 

Once patient education has been performed, the nurse should evaluate the written materials for readability by using readability formulas such as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, which provide an estimate of the grade level required to understand written materials, consider layout and design such as font size and spacing, to ensure they are easily readable, and use plain language, which is free of jargon and technical terms, to ensure that written materials are understandable to patients with varying literacy skills (Šulinskaitė et al., 2022).

Ways a Health Care Professional May Establish Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential in healthcare to ensure that patients receive appropriate and accurate information and can participate in their care. Nurses should practice active listening by paying attention to patients’ verbal and nonverbal cues, asking clarifying questions, and summarizing what they have heard to ensure they have understood correctly (Haddad et al., 2023).

Other ways nurses can use to establish effective communication include using plain language, free of medical jargon, to ensure that patients can understand health information, empathizing by acknowledging patients’ emotions and concerns, which help to build trust and establish a positive therapeutic relationship, being aware of and sensitive to cultural differences that may impact communication, such as differences in communication styles, values, and beliefs, and being aware of their nonverbal communication, such as body language and tone of voice, as well as the nonverbal cues of patients, to ensure that they are communicating effectively (Haddad et al., 2023).

How Health Care Professional Can Help a Patient Remember Instructions

Helping patients remember instructions is essential for the proper management of their health and treatment plans. Healthcare professionals can help patients remember instructions by repeating instructions, using simple language, providing written instructions, using visual aids, asking patients to repeat instructions, demonstrating procedures, using memory aids, and following up with patients (Haddad et al., 2023).

References

Beaulieu, L., Addington, J., & Almeida, D. (2019). Behavior analysts’ training and practices regarding cultural diversity: The case for culturally competent care. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 557–575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00313-6

Chen, H.-Y., Jablonski, N., Chick, G., & Yarnal, C. (2022). Situating colorism in intercultural contexts: The multifaceted process of acculturation in shaping attitudes towards skin color. International Journal of Intercultural Relations: IJIR, 90, 142–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2022.08.001

Haddad, A. M., Doherty, R. F., & Purtilo, R. B. (2023). Health Professional and Patient Interaction (Amy M. Haddad, R. F. Doherty, & R. B. Purtilo, Eds.; 10th ed.). Saunders. https://books.google.at/books?id=G2y1EAAAQBAJ

Hamer, K., McFarland, S., Czarnecka, B., Golińska, A., Cadena, L. M., Łużniak-Piecha, M., & Jułkowski, T. (2020). What is an “ethnic group” in ordinary people’s eyes? Different ways of understanding it among American, British, Mexican, and Polish respondents. Cross-Cultural Research, 54(1), 28–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397118816939

Kumar, R., Bhattacharya, S., Sharma, N., & Thiyagarajan, A. (2019). Cultural competence in family practice and primary care setting. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 8(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_393_18

Mason, R. M. (2019). Culture: An Overlooked Key to Unlocking Organizational Knowledge. Washington.edu. http://faculty.washington.edu/rmmason/Publications/Mason_KM_culture_chp_preprint.pdf

Schulz, P. J., & Nakamoto, K. (2022). The perils of misinformation: when health literacy goes awry. Nature Reviews. Nephrology, 18(3), 135–136. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-021-00534-z

Shahin, W., Kennedy, G. A., & Stupans, I. (2019). The impact of personal and cultural beliefs on medication adherence of patients with chronic illnesses: a systematic review. Patient Preference and Adherence, 13, 1019–1035. https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S212046

Steve, K., Liping, W., Rongtian, T., & Greg, D. (2020). Interdisciplinary History of Intercultural Communication Studies From Roots to Research and Praxis. Researchgate.net. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108854184.006.

Šulinskaitė, K., Zagurskienė, D., & Blaževičienė, A. (2022). Patients’ health literacy and health behavior assessment in primary health care: evidence from a cross-sectional survey. BMC Primary Care, 23(1), 223. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01809-5

Zhang, Q. (2021). The cost of illiteracy: A causal inference study on how illiteracy affects physical and mental health. Health Education Journal, 80(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896920949894