social practices and beliefs

Question 1

a. Explain how you can self-reflect on your own social practices and beliefs on working with culturally diverse people.
b. What would you do to improve on your ability to enhance social awareness and understanding of different cultures?
Question 2

List and briefly explain two (2) benefits you see for a practice when it understands that a ‘culturally’ appropriate workplace is beneficial to its success.
Question 3

a. Briefly explain why it is important to employ work practices that create a workplace environment that is conducive and safe for all.

b. How does being ‘culturally competent’ impact on the success of workplace practices?

Question 4

When reviewing or modifying work practices it needs to completed in consultation with others.

a. Explain how a practice consults with and involves others from diverse cultural backgrounds.

b. When communicating changes to workplace practices what do you do ensure the communication used shows respect for the cultural diversity of others, for example: co-workers, clients, family.
Question 5

Effective communication is critical in any business. Recognising cultural diversity when communicating is to know a client’s wants or needs or how best to offer care. However communicating effectively with people with whom you do not share a language can be very challenging.

a. Explain what a business would consider when working with people who are from culturally and linguistically diverse background to develop and maintain effective relationships, mutual trust and confidence.
b. From the list (below) of common areas of misunderstanding select two (2) and explain what steps were taken to remove potential language barriers and to make the communication effective.
Some common areas of misunderstanding are:
• polite forms of language
• idioms
• questions
• compliment
• dress
• social customs
• responding to good and bad news
• space
• time

c. It may be necessary to seek assistance from interpreters or other persons. In which situation you will consider to get an interpreter.

Question 6

Provide an example where an issue from your practice/workplace caused conflict across cultures or had the potential to cause conflict.

Question 7

a. If potential misunderstandings occur, what would be the impact on the different cultures?
b. What steps could be taken to sensitively resolve differences that reduce any escalation of
a situation that would lead to conflict?

PERSONAL REFLECTION
Health care professionals also reflect the cultural diversity of our society.
Under the client healthcare right of ‘respect’ clients have the right to care in a manner that is respectful to their culture and beliefs, free from discrimination.
The issue of the need to address cultural diversity and cultural awareness has been well recognised in health care settings. Health beliefs, levels of understanding and expectations of treatment outcomes differ according to people’s culture.
And therefore it is imperative for staff working in a multicultural environment to develop a high level of cultural sensitivity and awareness in order to successfully interact with diverse client groups. These groups may include emotionally susceptible people and therefore staff members need to develop appropriate communication skills.

Explain three (3) different situations where you have identified and recognised the needs of your patients in care from diverse background and has:

• Selected and used appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication method in order to successfully interact with diverse client groups and
• Successfully managed a misunderstanding or conflict situation that may have raised due to cultural diversity issues

For eg: You may choose following situations:
• You can give a situation relating to dealing with indigenous patients, where using the appropriate communication skills you have managed to remove the communication barrier with your patient and has provided adequate care services.

• Or can give a situation where misunderstanding in views and actions are happened between people of diverse culture due to their inability to understand each other’s cultural belief, value and etiquettes.
Task 4: Case Study – Scenario
• The scenario below describes a situation in which a client behaves in a difficult or unacceptable way. Your task is to answer the questions.
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• You are at times the only one working at the reception desk as an administration clerk at a large hospital working in the emergency department.
• The waiting room is full of sick and injured people and there is a two hour wait.
• When patients arrive they are assessed by the triage nurse into critical and non-critical care.
• On Thursday the 5th of February at 10:00am, Mark arrived at the emergency waiting room. Mark is a 30yr old man who is an outpatient. Mark appears to look malnourished, and has scars on his wrists. You also notice that he has wounds on the inside of his right elbow.
• He presented to the Triage window, and a preliminary assessment was undertaken. He appeared confused, disorientated, agitated and easily irritated. He was observed to be mumbling incoherently to individuals not present and to himself at times. When asked by the Triage Nurse, who he was talking to, Mark became irritable and yelled out loudly, “No-one! What a stupid question to ask!”
• Mark was then directed to take a seat and was observed to be highly restless and unsettled; wandering around the emergency room waiting area, & becoming increasingly intrusive in the care of fellow patients. He was informed by the nursing staff on several occasions to settle down and that he would be attended by the treating team as soon as they became available.
• Mark has been waiting for approximately an hour when he approaches the desk for the second time. He demands to be seen immediately with his flushed faced and dilated pupils. Again the nurse tried to explain Mark that there are still several patients to be seen before him, whereupon he becomes agitated and hostile.
• He starts swearing, shouting and shaking his fists at you, saying “I am sick and must be seen, by the doctor now.” He threatens that he may do ‘something terrible to himself’ if he isn’t seen soon by the treating doctor. As he leans across the desk, you smell the alcohol on his breath and you notice his eyes are quite bloodshot.
• Mark is then removed from the waiting room, and put in an emergency bed to be seen by the doctor.
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• Questions/Answers
• 1. Reading the given scenario, identify and list atleast 5 different behaviours of concern.
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• 2. Briefly explain the signs indicating the behaviours of concern.
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• 3a. List the effective communication strategies you would use to achieve the desired outcomes in responding to behaviours of concern.
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• b. Briefly explain the strategies that you would implement to deal with the identified behaviours of concern?
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• 4. List the important legal and ethical consideration relevant to recognising and responding to behaviours of concern.
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• 5a. Whom should you report this incident?
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• b. Who needs to be consulted to seek advice and assistance from legitimate sources as and when appropriate?
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• Task 5
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• 1. List 3 basic Do’s and Don’ts, when confronted by an aggressive patient.
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• 2. List the 4 steps to ensure the safety of yourself and others when dealing with a challenging behaviour.
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• 3. Why it is important to review the incident report with the relevant staff members?
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• 4. Explain the process of debriefing that supervisor/ manager must undertake after an incident accident has occurred. Explain briefly the stage.
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• 5. Discuss the organisational reporting processes to effectively deal and record the incidents of behaviours of concern.