Cultural Awareness within the Chiropractic clinic

Cultural awareness is a topic every healthcare professional should be aware of. It is routinely
practiced with each patient during every interaction and as an Australian living in a multi-cultural
environment, this skill is essential. Each patient is unique, and their cultural beliefs vary from person
to person, but they need to be considered and respected where appropriate in order to increase
patient satisfaction and provide successful treatment. As a Chiropractic student, I am continually
expanding my skills in a variety of areas, one of which is cultural awareness. However, my concern is
that cultural awareness is a seemingly expansive topic that encompasses a broad spectrum of
beliefs, and I feel that I need to expand my knowledge further in this topic in order to become a
skilled and inclusive practioner in the future.

To address my concern, I must conduct thorough research. My research strategy will include
defining cultural awareness, how cultural awareness is addressed, and how to improve patient
interactions. Firstly, I need a definitive answer to what cultural awareness is defined as. “Different
cultural groups have diverse belief systems with regard to health and healing in comparison to the
Western biomedical model of medicine… These differences must be acknowledged and considered as
healthcare decisions are made.” (Vaughn, Jacquez & Bakar, 2020). Being situated in Australia it is
vital that I place emphasis on Aboriginal health care and understanding its value system. “Aboriginal
health  does not mean the physical wellbeing of an individual, but refers  to the social, emotional, and
cultural wellbeing of the whole community.  For Aboriginal people this is seen in terms of the whole-
life-view.” ("Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concept of health - Cultural Ways - Australian
Indigenous HealthInfoNet", 2020). Having this knowledge means that I can confidently work with my
patients while understanding how best to treat them.

Next, I will look at how these cultural considerations are accommodated within a clinical setting.
Creating a checklist; similar to a history, can be a useful method to providing satisfactory care. This
list can involve a broad series of questions that should be expanded on based on the patient’s
responses in order to ascertain how they feel about healthcare treatments. Things to include on this
list may be how to “establish clear communication, be aware off non-verbal clues, ask openly about
potentially relevant traditions and customs, examine your own biases” (Green, 2020). These steps
can help me become familiar with my patient in order to minimize negative outcomes and omissions
as well as maximise efficiency and considerations to the individual

Finally, ethics is a key component within healthcare. Two specific and relevant ethical criteria that
applies to cultural awareness are Autonomy and Beneficence. Autonomy states “the patient must
be allowed to make their own decisions … independently and according to their personal values and
beliefs.” ("How the Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care", 2020). Beneficiary
states, “healthcare providers must do all they can to benefit the patient in each situation” ("How the
Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care", 2020). These ethical principles display
that not only is it correct to demonstrate cultural awareness, but it is also apart of a healthcare
providers code of practice.

Now that I have gathered the information needed to address my concern, I can cluster it to benefit
my education for the future. Having a defined description of cultural awareness has been integral to
understanding its necessity within the healthcare environment. This foundation of knowledge is
important to comprehend for me so that I am informed and confident providing the best care
possible. Now that I understand this, I can develop my own methods and structure exactly how I will
have discussions with patients regarding their cultural and personal preferences towards healthcare.
In summary, I have learnt a pivotal lesson regarding cultural awareness and expanded my prior
knowledge. I hope to become a skilled and well-rounded Chiropractor, however, performing
satisfactory adjustments alone is not enough to achieve this goal. A multitude of factors must be
considered while treating a patient and among these factors, cultural awareness is vital to get right
as it is an essential part of understanding the patient to deliver treatment. Living in Australia, I
believe that this is a topic that needs to be focussed on and continuously revisited to stay up to date
with. By following the suggestions mentioned in this reflection, I believe that I can embrace cultural
awareness and utilise it appropriately.

References

 Vaughn, L., Jacquez, F., & Bakar, R. (2020). Cultural Health Attributions, Beliefs, and
Practices: Effects on Healthcare and Medical Education. Retrieved 7 September 2020, from
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Cultural-Health-Attributions%2C-Beliefs%2C-and-
Effects-Vaughn-Jacquez/4ec1e5871366705583aa2a1c1ed7eef520903ad5?p2df
 Green, A. (2020). Cultural Awareness in Healthcare: A Checklist. Retrieved 7 September
2020, from https://www.qualityinteractions.com/blog/cultural-awareness-in-healthcare-
checklist
 How the Four Principles of Health Care Ethics Improve Patient Care. (2020). Retrieved 7
September 2020, from https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-health-
administration/resources/articles/four-principles-of-health-care-ethics-improve-patient-care
 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concept of health - Cultural Ways - Australian
Indigenous HealthInfoNet. (2020). Retrieved 15 September 2020, from
https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/cultural-ways/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-
concept-of-health/