Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care

281

Chapter 11 Culture, Family, and Community

Figure 11-1. These murals reflect the Mexican American culture of the El Rio barrio in Tucson, AZ. They were painted by community residents.

Identifying the Values and Cultural Norms of a Community A transcultural framework is essential for the community health nurse to identify the values and cultural norms of a community. Although values are universal features of all cultures, their types and expressions vary widely, even within the same community. Values often serve as the foundation for a community’s acceptance and use of health resources or a group’s participation in community-based intervention programs to pro mote health and wellness. Just as nurses share data and collaborate with clients and families to establish mutually acceptable goals for nursing care, the community-based nurse works with the community or aggregates within the community to plan community-focused health programs. Identifying values and cultural norms within a community or aggregate correctly often requires community nurses to spend time interacting with

and learning from members of those popula tions. In addition to forming partnerships with communities, the community nurse considers the influences of social, economic, ecological, and political issues. Larger policy issues directly and profoundly affect many, if not all, commu nity health issues. These larger policy issues are, in turn, influenced by the wider national and/or international culture. Cultural Issues in Community Nursing Practice The need for nurses to be sensitive to clients who are culturally different is increasing as we become more aware of the complex interactions between healthcare providers and clients and how these interactions might affect the client’s health. Different cultural groups who have limited access to health services, along with barriers resulting

Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of the content is prohibited.