Cultural Competency during Pediatric Assessment
Tina M. Schwartz
Worcester State University

Cultural Competency during Pediatric Assessment A 3-year old child presented to the Emergency Department after a fall down a four-stair flight of steps. The child’s right arm was swollen and discolored at the wrist. The parents brought the child to the Emergency Department. Information obtained revealed that the family had just recently immigrated to the United States. The mother indicated that they were unfamiliar with “American” medicine. In order to provide patient centered care, it is important to establish a nurse-patient relationship based on trust. The family must be made to feel as equal partners in the care of their child. They must feel valued, respected and important. It is imperative to obtain an interpreter who is fluent in their language so that correct information is exchanged.
Asian culture is one of great respect and views physicians and nurses as authority figures. Thus, it is common that Asian patients will not openly disagree with health care recommendations for fear of being disrespectful. (Junkett, et al 2014). Juckett, et al (2014) reminds us that one of the barriers to good health care is limited English proficiency and the availability of interpreters. Interpretation should be sentence by sentence so everyone is able to understand the conversation. As explained by both Junkett, et al (2014) and Camphina-Bacote (2011), by using the mnemonic LEARN, you can easily perform a culturally competent assessment. This consists of five steps:
L isten
E xplain
A cknowledge
R ecommend
N egotiate

First you listen to the patient’s complaint and concerns. Second, the nurse explains what their perception of the problem is. Then patient and nurse acknowledge what they agree to be similar in their perceptions.