TRANSCULTURAL NURSING (2)

TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE

When viewed across a variety of multicultural groups, explanations for health and disease that characterized, many traditional beliefs about disease causation, treatment, and general health practices can be seen as highly complex, dynamic, and interactive. These explanations often involve family, community, and/or supernatural agents in cause and effect, placation, and treatment rituals to prevent, control, or cure illness. A failure to understand and appreciate these "differences" can have serious implications for the success of any Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP) effort.

Be aware that the health concepts held by many cultural, groups may result in people choosing not to seek Western medical treatment procedures because they do not view the illness or disease as coming from within themselves

Be aware that in many Eastern cultures and other cultures in the developing world, the locus of control for disease causality often is centered outside the individual, whereas in Western cultures, the locus of control tends to be more internally oriented (Dim-out, 1995).

Remember that if the more traditional person does seek Western medical treatment, then that person might not be able to provide or describe his or her symptoms in precise terms that the Western medical practitioner can readily treat (Landline & Logoff, 1992).

Recognize that individuals from other cultures might not follow through with health-promoting or treatment recommendations because they perceive the medical or other health- promoting encounter as a negative or perhaps even hostile experience.

Acknowledge that many individual patients and health care practitioners have specific notions about health and disease causality and treatment called explanatory models. These models are generally a conglomeration of the respective cultural and social training, beliefs, and values; the personal beliefs, values, and behaviors-, and the understanding of biomedical concepts that each group holds (Klein man, 1980).

Recognize that the more disparate the differences are between the biomedical model and the lay/popular explanatory models, the greater the potential for, on to encounter resistance to Western HPDP programs.

Be aware of the need to be flexible in the design of programs, policies, and services to meet the needs and concerns of the culturally diverse population, groups that are likely to be encountered.

Traditional Concepts of Illness Causality


Be aware that folk illnesses are generally learned syndromes that individuals from particular cultural groups claim to have and from which their culture defines the etiology, behaviors, diagnostic procedures, prevention methods, and traditional healing or curing practices.


Remember that most cases of lay illness have multiple causalities and may require several different approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and cure including folk and Western medical interventions

Recognize that folk illnesses, which are perceived to arise from a variety of causes, often require the services of a folk healer who may be a local corianders, shaman, native healer, spiritualist, root doctor, or other specialized healer.

Recognize that the use of traditional or alternate models of health care delivery is widely varied and may come into conflict with Western models of health care practice.

Understanding these differences may help us to be more sensitive to the special beliefs and practices of multicultural target groups when planning a program. Culture guides behavior into acceptable ways for the people in a specific group as such culture originates and develops within the social structure through inter personal interactions.