Introduction
There are many similarities between cultures and differences in how people dress, work, talk, relax, perceive, and evaluate other people, nature, and society. However, people of all cultures access hospitals and other healthcare facilities for care and want to be treated in a culturally sensitive manner. Thus, it is essential to describe culturally sensitive care using the Purnell Model and provide applications of the model.
Medical staff should respect and understand the feelings and beliefs of diverse groups of people with racial, linguistic, or religious differences. Accordingly, culturally sensitive care means nurses and doctors should provide services based on the patient’s background. For example, if patients do not understand English, an interpreter should be provided, or if patients refuse certain medications, doctors should respect this (Gomez & Bernet, 2019). The healthcare system must employ workers of different races, nationalities, religions, and languages to ensure culturally sensitive care.
Purnell Model: Theory and Organizational Framework
Purnell’s cultural competence model aims to establish cultural competence among healthcare providers. Initially, it was developed as an organizational framework, but later the Purnell theory emerged due to the sensitivity and importance of healthcare providers’ interaction with representatives of different cultures (Marilyn, 2016). Its basic assumptions are that all cultures are equal and that healthcare providers need accurate information about different cultures to serve patients. Moreover, the ongoing globalization has led to the fact that patients from different cultures may receive care in the same hospital (Marilyn, 2016).
Consequently, there is a need for transcultural healthcare, which aims to ensure that all healthcare professionals can provide care to patients with cultural knowledge and sensitivity. For example, nurses who are culturally aware of Native American culture will not be forbidden to use traditional rituals for treatment (Marilyn, 2016). As a result, they will provide quality care and have a trusting relationship with different patients.
Purnell’s 12 Domains of Culture
The first component is heritage, which is related to people’s place of birth, the influence of politics, and the state’s economy on them. In the outpatient setting, nurses often encounter people of different nationalities and their needs. The second component is language; patients may speak foreign languages or dialects (Purnell, 2005). Nurses often face this problem in their jobs, which is why the hospital cooperates with translators.
The third component is family roles and organization, which means that patients support different types of families and methods of raising children; such diversity of people is also often digested in the outpatient setting. The fourth element is workforce issues, which include concepts related to assimilation, autonomy, or ethnic communication style (Purnell, 2005). Patients who work in the city come from other states or countries, and when they are injured on the job, they seek outpatient care.
The fifth element involves culture, which means serving patients of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. This environment is commonplace for nurses in an outpatient setting, and staff behave ethically and appropriately with all people. The sixth component is high-risk behavior, that is, contact with people who frequently drink alcohol, smoke, or have risky sexual relationships. Nurses encounter this category of patients, but due to specific diseases, they are referred to different departments (Purnell, 2005).
Furthermore, the seventh element is nutrition, meaning special food choices, spending habits, or the needs of people. Nurses in an outpatient setting rarely encounter people with special needs. The eighth area is pregnancy and childbirth, which includes different methods of childbirth and pregnancy control (Purnell, 2005). Nurses in an outpatient setting do not encounter this type of diversity due to the special medical needs of pregnant women.
In addition, the ninth component is death rituals, which are the behaviors and traditions that are performed to prepare for a person’s death. In an outpatient setting, nurses do not encounter such diversity because they provide primary care to people, not palliative care. The tenth element is spirituality, which includes prayer and religious practices. Patients often express religious beliefs in an outpatient setting, and nurses must respect their needs and desires.
The eleventh dimension is health care practice, which includes acute care for people with their needs and diagnoses (Purnell, 2005). In an outpatient setting, nurses often encounter a diverse patient population and provide first aid to all, depending on their individual needs. The twelfth pillar includes healthcare providers with different perceptions of traditional, magical-religious, and Western biomedical healthcare (Purnell, 2005). In an outpatient setting, nurses do not encounter such diversity because they use only evidence-based medicine.
Model Application
The model can be used to provide individualized care to people based not only on their illnesses but also on their culture. For example, to become a more culturally competent healthcare provider, screening patients and providing them with recommendations, asking for their opinions, and determining whether they will follow them (Purnell, 2005). This will enable healthcare providers to provide quality services to different cultural groups based on health indicators and cultural characteristics. It will improve their health and cultural experience, affecting their cultural competence.
Conclusion
In summary, the Purnell Model is valuable for application in the healthcare sector. It provides an understanding of cultural diversity and justifies its importance in healthcare. As a result, it enables healthcare professionals to better understand the needs of employees from different social backgrounds and cultures and to provide patients with holistic care that also addresses their individual needs.
References
Gomez, L. E., & Bernet, P. (2019). Diversity improves performance and outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(4), 383–392. Web.
Marilyn, A. R. (2016). Transcultural caring dynamics in nursing and health care (2nd ed.). Davis Company.
Purnell L. (2005). The Purnell Model for Cultural Competence. Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, 11(2), 7–15. Web.