Rheumatoid Heart Disease is a condition that damages one or two heart valves, and it occurs mostly after rheumatoid fever. The condition happens when there are recurrent episodes of Rheumatic fever, and eventually, the heart is inflamed. In most cases, rheumatoid fever condition occurs after an infection on the throat which is caused by Group A streptococcus (Marijon et al., 2012). The social determinant of health that may have made Shakira susceptible to rheumatoid heart disease is the overcrowding and poor sanitation in the remote indigenous community in the Northern Territory. Overcrowding and poor sanitation conditions lead to rapid transmission of bacteria and people are exposed to the streptococcus bacteria. Due to overcrowding in the region, Shakira was exposed to the bacteria. The standard treatment for rheumatoid heart disease is the use of antibiotics to fight the strep infection and other medications such as aspirin to reduce the inflammation of the heart (Marijon et al., 2012). According to Rheumatoid Heart Disease Australia organization, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals have Rheumatoid Herat diseases six times than other Australians (Vos et.al, 2009).
Cultural awareness is the process of communication in a community and being informed about the cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions (Duke, Connor and McEldowney, 2009). Cultural sensitivity is being informed that there are cultural differences and similarities but not giving it a value. I will provide culturally safe care by acquiring cultural knowledge so that I recognize that the behaviors and responses from one person may be viewed differently by another. For example perception of health, illness, and death. Facilitating patient care is also important so that I ensure the patient meets his or her specific health goals or understanding the patient's perspectives about the condition.
The objectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 is to abolish ATSIC Act 1989 by amending the sections that control its functioning, the constitution, and administration activities (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005, 2017). The other objective is to remove the Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board but make no changes in the Torres Strait Regional Authority. Transferring of regional councils from ATSIC to the minister is also another objective.
The European settlement and colonization led to distinctive ethnic and cultural differences among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies because each community has its own language and traditionally beliefs (Duke, Connor and McEldowney, 2009). Over the years, the shared experiences of colonization led to adverse effects on their health. Many generations have faced health problems because of their connection to their land. The arrival of indigenous people in the region introduced diseases that have affected the health of the Aboriginal people. The residents have adverse health outcomes because of racism and discrimination in the health sector due to distinctive ethnic and cultural differences.
Improving the communication to help in providing culturally safe care requires community participation in decision making. A nurse can offer better care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community by gathering details from direct contact with people from all the cultures to get their ideas on how to solve health issues (Duke, Connor and McEldowney, 2009). Respecting diversity and understanding that every individual should be treated with equality irrespective of religion, gender, culture, beliefs and race, will help the enrolled nurse offer cultural safe nursing care. Sharing information, feelings, signs and beliefs about illness with the community will provide useful information that can be used to make decisions about health services in the region.
In the case of Shakira who is suffering from Rheumatoid Heart Disease, an enrolled nurse can ensure effective communication to the family first by rapport building. Initial interaction with the patient is crucial, so building of rapport is essential to ensure that the family members communicate openly and honestly about the health condition of Shakira. Rapport building with the family members is when the nurse demonstrates some level of understanding and respect because of their uniqueness (Trewin and Madden, 2015). The language used during the communication also determines if the family will give all information about Shakira. Simple language by avoiding complicated medical terms is important so that Shakira and her family members understand what the nurse is saying.
Exhibiting Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander art and placards that are properly noticeable from the entry to the premises is the best strategy to ensure that Shakira and her family feel comfortable accessing the service. When they find the arts, they feel that their culture is appreciated and they are at the right place where racism is not accepted and are served well.
As a student Enrolled Nurse, I feel that am prepared to reshape my values and perceptions to accommodate the needs of Indigenous Australian individuals and coworkers. I believe that everybody in the world loves their culture and so accepting people's ideas based on their beliefs is important. To integrate cultural safety, I will reshape my values to make the indigenous Australian individuals feel that their culture is appreciated and their ideas about health conditions matters in the way service are delivered to them. People want services to be delivered based on their culture, and I will ensure that the Indigenous Australian Individuals and co- workers see the importance of their culture.
The questions that and Aboriginal or Torres may ask themselves when considering the health services include:
Will the service provider show empathy and not be judgmental over my condition?
Will the nutritionist cater for dietary requirements by avoiding the forbidden foods when I seek nutritional assistance?
Indicators of a culturally unsafe service include:
The patients are denied the chance to make suggestions
Anger from the service providers leading to poor quality services.
References
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005. (2017). Legislation.gov.au. Retrieved 19 April
2017, from https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2012C00258Duke, J., Connor, M., & McEldowney, R. (2009). BECOMING A CULTURALLY
COMPETENT HEALTH PRACTITIONER IN THE DELIVERY OF CULTURALLY SAFE CARE: A PROCESS ORIENTED APPROACH. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 16(2).
Marijon, E., Mirabel, M., Celermajer, D. S., & Jouven, X. (2012). Rheumatic heart disease. The
Lancet, 379(9819), 953-964.
Trewin, D., & Madden, R. (2015). The health and welfare of Australias Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples. Canberra, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Vos, T., Barker, B., Begg, S., Stanley, L., & Lopez, A. D. (2009). Burden of disease and injury
in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: the Indigenous health gap. international Journal of Epidemiology, 38(2), 470-477.
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