Filipino Cultural Characteristics

Expected Outcome

 After the discussion, student are expected to:

Distinguish the difference of the Health Care Beliefs and
Practices
Discuss characteristics of culture
Utilize the theory of Transcultural Nursing
Examine ways in which transcultural nursing can serve as a
framework for meeting the learning needs of various ethnic
populations.
 Cultural Characteristics
 Knowledge of cultural customs enables health care providers to offer
better care and help avoid misunderstandings
 Purnell’s definition of Terms
Acculturation
Assimilation
Culture
Competence
Cultural awareness
Cultural diversity
Cultural relativism
 Ethnic
 Ethocentrism
 Ideology
 Subculture
 Transcultural
 Worldview
Cultural Care Theory (Madeleine Leininger)

 Transcultural Nursing The cultural care theory aims to provide culturally

congruent nursing care through
 cognitively based assistive, supportive, facilitative, or enabling acts or
decisions that are mostly tailor-made to fit with individual's, group's, or
institution's cultural values, beliefs, and lifeways" (Leininger, M. M.,1995).
 Aa substantive area of study and practice focused on comparative cultural
care (caring) values, beliefs and practices of individuals or groups of similar
or different cultures.
8 Characteristics of Filipinos:

 Hospitality. This is one of the most popular qualities of Filipinos.

 Respect. This is often observed—not just by younger people—but also by
people of all ages
 Strong Family Ties and Religions
 Generosity and Helpfulness. Filipinos are generous people
 Strong Work Ethic
 Love and Caring
 Fatalism – “come what may”
 Crab mentalityFilipinos Health Practice
 Filipinos Health Practices and Beliefs

•self-medication – over the counter drugs

•home remedies – Chinese oils or ointments
•traditional healing techniques – albularyo (Folk healers)
•belief in supernatural ailments – faith healers
•concept of wind illnesses – Ventosa technique (to treat kabag)
•laying of hands
•blessing of holy water or oil
•psychic surgery
•spiritual healing
 Purnell framework

Primary characteristics of culture

Nationality
Race
Color
Gender
Age
Religious affiliation
Secondary Characteristics of culture
SES
Physical charcateristics
Eduaction status
Occupational status
Place of residence (urban and rural)
Purnell model depicted in a circle:
Global society - outermost
Community - second sphere
Family – third sphere
Individual – fourth sphere
Nursing Managment of a Culturally diverse Groups

 It is necessary to respect each patient's cultural heritage, belifs and

practices
 A health care provider not fully aware of patient's background,
maybe unable to understand many of the patients health belif and
practices
 Lack of knowledge and understanding may unintentionally turn what
should be therapeutic experience into degrading humuliating
experience for patients
 When caring for patient be conscious of ethocentism
 When planning for educational materila for patient whose primary
language is not english, must obtian interpreter
 Purnell 19 assumptions

One culture is not better than another- they are

different
The primary and secondary characteristics of
culture determine the degree to which one varies
form dominant culture
Culture has a powerful influence on one’s
interpretation of and response to health care
Every individual has the right to be respected for his
own uniqueness and cultural heritage
prejudices or biases can be minimized with cultural
understanding
caregivers who are intervene in culturally
competent manner improve the care of patients
and their helath outcome
cultural differences often require adaptations to
standard professional practices
 General areas to assess when first
meeting with patient
the patients perception of helath and Illness
His or her traditional remedies and folk practitioner
the patient perception of nurses
his or her beliefs about teh role of family and family
relationship
his or her perceptions of and need of emotional
support
Questions to be use to understand
patient perspective of health
what do you think caused your problems?
why do you think the problems started when it
did?
which major problems does your your illness
cause you?
how has being sick affected you?
how severe do you think your illness is? Do you see
it having a short or long term course?
What kind of treatment do you receive?
what are the most importnat result you hope to
obtain form your treatment
what do you fear most about your illness?
the following guidelines used
regardless of culture
identify patient primary langauge. Assess ability
to understand, read and speak the language of
the nurse
observe interaction between the patient and
and his family
Listen to patient. find out what the patient want
differs form what the family wants and how they
differ from what you think is appropriate
consider the patiet communication abilities and
pattern
observe behaviour and clarify beliefs and
practices that may interfere with the traetment
plan
become oriented to individual and family sense
of time and time frame
determine which communication approaches
are appropriate with respect
assess religous parctices and determine how his
or her religous belief influence perceptions of
illness and treatment
THE END