Health Traditions and Practices as it Relates to Health Maintenance in The Culturally Diverse.
M. Gabrielle Kuehl (aka Maria Kuehl)
Grand Canyon University NRS-429V
August 17, 2014
Promoting a health wellness plan to that effectively addresses the needs of a culturally diverse community, requires heritage based evaluations and considerations to address the varying diverse values, traditions or practices within the family unit. Understanding the family’s cultural heritage in addition to health promoting traditions is key to achieving positive outcomes in the development of an effective health maintenance, protection and restoration wellness plan. Gathering information specific to heritage health values, beliefs and traditions to assist in determining a current health practice baseline, is valuable information to be referred back to throughout the plan. Grand Canyon University substantiates the importance of cultural considerations as mentioned in their lecture regarding cultural competency in nursing by suggesting “Cultural beliefs and values influence health decisions and must be taken into consideration. Therefore, cultural diversity in health education is as important as any other sector of health maintenance.” (Grand Canyon University, 2011, p. 1.). Hence the importance in using an assessment tool in determining a health practice baseline within populations that possess beliefs differing from that of standardized western medicine.
The basis for health traditions and practices of a Chinese-Cambodian community is complicated as it is diverse. Health care providers (HCP) wishing to formulate a health maintenance plan in this community need to be able to demonstrate substantial knowledge and respect for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as well as medicinal history of the Cambodian traditions. An empathetic culturally sensitive approach mindful of the