The Delivery of Culturally Sensitive Health Care to Native Americans

Abstract

Cultural factors significantly influence the Native American's perspectives of traditional professional health care practices. To most effectively deal with Native American clients, health care providers must understand, respect, and demonstrate sensitivity to the values and implications of the Native American culture. A basic understanding of a group's cultural beliefs, values, and practices will enable the holistic nurse to appreciate the importance of appropriate interactions and techniques and, therefore, make health care more readily accepted. This article reviews the health and illness beliefs, the traditional remedies, the critical need for holistic health care, and the Five Great Values that guide Native American behavior. Familiarization with these cultural components will facilitate the provision of quality, holistic health care through improved interactions with Native American clients.

Culturally Competent HIV Prevention Strategies for Women of Color in the United States

“…In a report on a culturally competent intervention designed for low income Native American women attending an urban clinic (Sanchez, Plawecki, & Plawecki, 1996), potential participants contributed to the program design through focus groups that identified session topics, particularly self-esteem and parenting, domestic violence, and substance abuse. The women anticipated little interest in birth control, discussing it as a personal choice and illustrating the importance of reproduction and privacy issues around sexuality, which contribute to the complexity of safer sex for women in general.…”

The Experience of Urban Aboriginals with Health Care Services in Canada

“…Although there is research that speaks to the broader socio-economic-cultural determinants of this situation, the actual health care experiences of Aboriginal people in Canada and elsewhere have not been well described (Cheung & Snowdon 1999;Strickland 1999). Since most health care providers are not Aboriginal, there is almost certainly some degree of cultural dissonance, which affects the ways that services are used and experienced by Aboriginal people (Mokuau & Fong 1994;Sanchez & Plawecki 1996;Weaver 1999) and may create barriers for those who seek help with health-related problems. and Fong (1994) suggest that the responsiveness of health services may be measured according to three criteria: availability, accessibility, and acceptability.…”

Postoperative Pain Assessment and Analgesic Administration in Native American Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

“…18,21 Nonverbal cues should be assessed, as well as universal indicators of pain such as tachypnea, tachycardia, diaphoresis, pallor, or increasing blood pressure. 22,23 There is evidence that subtle symptoms and the use of descriptive words by Native American patients to describe pain can be used as an indicator for the presence of pain. 22,23 An obvious shortcoming of our study was our small number of exclusively young, female patients.…”

“…22,23 There is evidence that subtle symptoms and the use of descriptive words by Native American patients to describe pain can be used as an indicator for the presence of pain. 22,23 An obvious shortcoming of our study was our small number of exclusively young, female patients. Important factors we did not control for were the environment in which our patients were raised (eg, reservation vs city) and the fraction of Native American heritage.…”

“…While it is difficult to make generalizations regarding the entire Native American population, there are 5 main values that are stressed-one of them being courage. 21,22 In assessing a patient for the severity of acute postsurgical pain, this desirable trait can pose problems. 18 In addition, many Native American tribes view illness and pain as an imbalance between the spiritual, mental, physical, and social interactions of the individual, as well as something to be endured.…”