Cultural Influences on Pain: The Health Care Professionals’ Aspects

Introduction: Everyday health care professionals care for patients with different cultural backgrounds, as racial and cultural diversity increases all over the world. Aim: The aim of the present review was to reveal the cultural approach of the pain through the health care professionals’ aspects. Results: The literature review of healthcare professionals' attitudes and views towards pain, depending on their cultural identity, highlighted major differences on these issues between health care professionals and individuals from different countries. It is vital for healthcare professionals to seek self-awareness about their values and beliefs, as these and stereotypes about pain can significantly affect its management. Health professionals need to accept the norms and traditions of their patients, regardless of their personal beliefs, even if these conflict with the therapeutic plan. While professionals consider thoroughly the patients' different cultural needs, they must adapt nursing care in order to achieve the satisfaction of patients with different cultural backgrounds. Conclusions: High quality pain care requires that health care professionals are aware that each patient is a complex of multiple characteristics, with a particular cultural background. Cultivating personality traits will allow health care professionals to overcome stereotypes, accept diversity and be willing to provide care for patients from different cultural background. The provision of culturally competent health care requires development of communication skills, thus to acknowledge the importance of cultural issues for each patient.

Category: Volume 60, N 3
Hits: 918 Hits
Created Date: 23-10-2021
Authors: Paraskevi Apostolara , Theodoula Adamakidou , Ourania Govina