HEALTH ASSESSMENT LECTURE- MIDTERMS
CULTURE
- shared system of beliefs, values, and behavioral
expectations that provide social structure for daily living
Cultural diversity- the cultural variety and differences
that exist in the world, a society or an institution. It is
having a group of diverse people in one place. People
working or living together that have different cultures.
Cultural sensitivity- being aware that cultural
differences and similarities exist and that they can have
an effect on behavior, values and learning. It also means
to be aware and tolerant of these differences and
acknowledging them when interacting with others.
Cultural bias- to give an advantage to one culture over
another/ to ignore the differences between cultures and
impose understanding based on the study of one culture
to other cultures / to think one culture has precedence of
the other.
Cultural influences on healthcare
 Physiological/ psychological characteristics
 Reaction to pain
 Gender roles
 Language and communication
 Orientation to space and time
 Food and nutrition
 Socio-economic factors
Culturally competent nursing care
- planned and implemented nursing care that is sensitive
to the needs of individuals, families and groups from a
diverse population within society.
Cultural assessment- an effective way to find out how
patients want to be treated based on their cultural values
and beliefs
Guidelines for care
- Cultural competency is a process and takes time.
it involves awareness, acquiring knowledge, and
practicing skills. As defined by Campinha-
Bacote (2003), nurses should answer the
following questions when caring for culturally
diverse patients:
 Am I aware of my personal biases and
prejudices towards cultural groups different
from mine?
 Do I have the skill to conduct a cultural
assessment in a sensitive manner?
 Do I have knowledge of the patient’s
worldview?
 How many encounters have I had with patients
from diverse cultural backgrounds?
 What is my genuine desire to be culturally
competent?
COMPONENTS OF CULTURALLY COMPETENT
NURSING CARE
- Cultural awareness- involves self-examination
of in-depth exploration of one’s culture and
professional background
- Cultural knowledge- involves seeking and
obtaining information base on different cultural
and ethnic groups
- Cultural skills – involves the nurse’s ability to
collect relevant cultural data regarding the
patient’s presenting problem and accurately
perform a culturally specific assessment
- Cultural encounter- defined as the process that
encourage nurses to directly engage in cross-
cultural interactions with patients from
culturally diverse backgrounds
- Cultural desire- the motivation to become
culturally aware and to seek cultural encounters.
- Cultural values- the individual’s desirable or
preferred way of acting or knowing something
that is sustained over a period of time and which
governs actions or decisions.
SPIRITUALITY
Religious background and beliefs
1. What religion did your family practice when you
were growing up?
2. How religious were your parents?
3. Do you practice a religion currently?
4. Do you believe in God or a higher power?
5. What have been important experiences and
thoughts about God/Higher power?
6. How would you describe God/ Higher power?
Personal or impersonal? Loving or stern?
Spiritual meaning and values
1. Do you follow any spiritual path or practice (eg.
Meditation, yoga, chanting)?
2. What significant spiritual experiences have you
had (eg. Mystical experience, near-death
experience, 12-step spirituality, drug-induced,
dreams)?
Prayer experiences  To participate with care seekers in identifying
concerns and enhancing their health status
1. Do you pray? When? In what ways?
2. How has prayer worked in your life?
3. Have your prayers been answered?
F- FAITH AND BELIEFS
I- IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE
C- COMMUNITY
A- ADDRESS
HOPE ASSESSMENT
H- Sources of hope, strength, comfort, meaning, peace,
love and connection
O- the role of organized religion for the patient
P- personal spirituality and practices
E- effects on medical care and end-of-life decisions
Family- two or more people who live in the same
household (usually), share a common emotional bond,
and perform certain interrelated social tasks
- a group of persons of common ancestry
HEALTH TASKS OF THE FAMILY
1. Recognizing interruptions of health or
development
2. Seeking health care
3. Managing health and non-health crises
4. Providing nursing care to the sick, disabled and
dependent member of the family
5. Maintaining a home environment conducive to
good health and personal development
6. Maintaining a reciprocal relationship with the
community and health institutions.

INTERVIEWING SKILLS
Interviewing- the single most important skill you will
need in conducting a health assessment
- if you never touch the person, but you can conduct a
good interview, you have at least 80% chance of coming
up with a correct diagnosis
The Process of Communication
- Exchanging ideas, information and feelings
- Understanding another person’s point of view
Interview outcomes

 To establish a working relationship between the

care giver and the care seeker
 To obtain accurate information about the care
seekers state of health- physically,
psychologically, socio-culturally and spiritually