Cultural Considerations McCuistion: Pharmacology: A Patient-Centered Nursing Process Approach, 9th Edition

1. The nurse is performing a pain assessment on a patient of Asian descent. The patient does not describe the pain when asked to do so and looks away from the nurse. What will the nurse do next? a. Ask the patient’s family member to evaluate the patient’s pain. b. Conclude that the patient’s pain is minimal. c. Evaluate the patient’s nonverbal pain cues. d. Suspect that the patient is experiencing severe pain. ANS: C Patients of Asian descent might speak in soft tones and avoid direct eye contact while being comfortable with long silences. It is not correct to ask family members to evaluate pain. Without assessment of nonverbal cues, the nurse cannot determine whether the pain is minimal or severe. DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying (Application) REF: p. 32 TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity: Cultural Diversity 2. The nurse is preparing to discuss long-term care needs with a patient newly diagnosed with a chronic disease. The patient is of Latin American descent. The nurse will plan to take which action when teaching this patient? a. Discussing long-term outcomes associated with compliance of the prescribed regimen b. Highlighting various traditional healing practices that will not be effective for this patient’s care c. Providing factual information and answering all questions as they arise d. Providing teaching in increments, allowing periods of silence to allow assimilation of information ANS: C The nurse should provide factual information and answer questions. Persons of Latin American descent have less dependence on time schedules and do not tend to have a future orientation. They are not comfortable with periods of silence. Nurses should be receptive to traditional healing practices and seek ways to include those in care when they do not hinder safe and effective care; highlighting practices that won’t work may convey a lack of respect for these traditions. DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying (Application) REF: p. 33 TOP: Nursing Process: Planning MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity: Cultural Diversity 3. A Native American patient has just been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. The nurse preparing a teaching plan for this patient understands that which aspect of the disease and disease management may be most difficult for this patient?