Multicultural Communication and Its Origins
Write a 650-1300 word response to the following questions:
1. Explain multicultural communication and its origins.
2. Compare and contrast culture, ethnicity, and acculturation.
3. Explain how cultural and religious differences affect the health care professional and the issues that can arise in cross-cultural communications.
4. Discuss family culture and its effect on patient education.
5. List some approaches the health care professional can use to address religious and cultural diversity.
6. List the types of illiteracy.
7.Discuss illiteracy as a disability.
8. Give examples of some myths about illiteracy.
9. Explain how to assess literacy skills and evaluate written material for readability.
10. Identify ways a health care professional may establish effective communication.
11. Suggest ways the health care professional can help a patient remember instructions.
This assignment is to be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
Sample Answer
Multicultural Communication and Its Origins
Multicultural communication entails both verbal and written interactions of people from different cultural beliefs and values. The concept entails communication that occurs when people from different cultures join under one organization, in a community, or a country. Trade and immigration are the major origins of multicultural communication.
Culture, Ethnicity, and Acculturation
Culture to the characteristics and knowledge of a group of people and encompasses religion, language, arts, customs, beliefs, habits, and values of the people. Ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to the state of belonging to a particular social group based on a distinctive and common culture. Acculturation entails the cultural modification of a social group by adapting traits from a different culture. Both culture and acculturation involve distinctive behavior and customs. While culture is the behavior and customs, acculturation refers to a process of adapting to behaviors and customs. Ethnicity, on the other hand, is a group of people that identifies with certain behaviors and customs.
How Cultural and Religious Differences Affect the Health Care Professional and The Issues That Can Arise in Cross-Cultural Communications
Cultural and religious differences affect the health care professionals significantly by increasing pressure for the professionals to attain cultural competence. Cultural competence enables the professionals to deliver care that meets the social, cultural, and religious needs of the patient (Swihart et al., 2018). The professionals must be aware and knowledgeable of the differences and show respect and sensitivity. Issues in cross-cultural communication include language barriers, stereotyping, ethnocentrism, and psychological barriers.
Family Culture and Its Effect on Patient Education
Family culture comprises traditions, practices, habits, and values passed across generations of a family. It influences how an individual feels, thinks, acts, and their attitude and perspective towards various issues. Family culture affects patient education as it influences how the patient understands and perceives information received and their willingness to integrate it into their lifestyle.
Approaches That the Health Care Professional Can Use to Address Religious and Cultural Diversity
Religious and cultural diversity can be addressed by health care professionals gaining cultural competence. Approaches that can be used include enhancing continuous development of individual awareness of personal prejudices and bias, increasing knowledge on the role of culture and religion and how it shapes behavior, effective utilization of culturally specific practices, and having respect and acceptance of the differences (Jongen et al., 2018). The professionals should avoid making assumptions, minimize language barriers, practice active listening, and utilize available training opportunities to increase knowledge.
Types of Illiteracy
Types of illiteracy include cultural, informational, financial, civic, functional, numerical, mental, emotional, and health illiteracy. Illiteracy puts a limitation on how much a person can achieve in a certain area.
Illiteracy as a Disability
Illiteracy limits the ability of a person to understand and process information for proper decision-making and utilization of information. Illiteracy is associated with intellectual disability. Individuals with intellectual disabilities have an innate low IQ that is below 70 and has an increased need for support (Geukes et al., 2019). Illiteracy may also be a disability if individuals suffer from brain injury and have difficulties reading or processing information.
Examples of Some Myths about Illiteracy
Common myths that health care professionals should be aware of while offering patient education include the belief that illiteracy occurs only in certain social and economic groups such as the unemployed, the uneducated, and those with low incomes. Other myths include beliefs that illiteracy is connected to intelligence, years of schooling is a good measure of literacy levels, illiteracy is rare in the country, and illiterate people are more likely to say they are illiterate.
How to Assess Literacy Skills and Evaluate Written Material for Readability
Literacy skills can be assessed by asking questions seeking to measure the level of understanding of a patient. Literacy skills can also be assessed using screening instruments as the U.S Health Literacy skills and others (Geukes et al., 2019). Since individuals are more likely to decline the literacy assessment, a health provider can ask in a sensitive manner. A health professional can evaluate written material for readability by looking for signals on whether the patient understands. The professional can have a quick discussion about the content of the material to assess whether the patient understands the information.
Ways of Establishing Effective Communication
Health care professionals can establish effective communication through various ways such as establishing trust with patients, using simple language by explaining medical terms, listening to the patients, and being sensitive to the cultural practices of the patient during a conversation. According to Skarbalienė et al. (2019), effective communication entails teamwork, collaboration, intercultural communication, critical thinking, use of no-verbal aspects such as active listening, emotional interaction, and getting feedback.
Ways the Health Care Professional Can Help a Patient Remember Instructions
A health care professional can help a patient remember instructions by providing written instructions, issuing directions with consideration to the patient’s level of understanding in terms of language, issuing instructions briefly and concisely, involving family members, and utilizing all communication techniques. Health care professionals can utilize virtual communication for better understanding. The language should be clear and precise. The healthcare professional should avoid the use of medical terms that are difficult for the patient to recall.
