Question

how individual nurses and midwives can deliver culturally safe care and contribute to reducing the health inequality experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Australians

Answer 1

Role of Individual Nurses and Midives that can deliver Culturally safe care and Contribute to reduction in Health Inequality are-

1. Treat every patient equally. One of the fundamental tenets of nursing is respect for all people. Respectful treatment honors the patients and their family and all of their unique characteristics.

2. Remember basic courtesies. Nurses should behave same with all like- knocking before entering a patient room and addressing the patient by the preferred name, still apply in the every environment, even when things get stressful.

3. Be present with your patient. Nurses should be Aware of Patient Condition even if patient going through a very serious situation. They should care for their Patient irrespective of its Caste,creed etc.

4. Get acquainted. Nuses should get to know the patients and families and their beliefs, values and cultural preferences--and then honoring them. This might include being alert to food preferences, ensuring the patient receive spiritual care.

Prioritize knowing patients as persons, not diseases or injuries.

5. Understand the patient perspective. “Keep the environment calm and quiet. Educate [patients] about the plan of care and make sure they are part of the decision,

You are having blood drawn and tubes placed in your body.Yet all of those procedures Nurses should perform in a respectful manner.

6. Communicate with respect. The Nurses should Speak to the patient and family in non-medical terms and then validating that they understood what was said.

“Talk to the patient even if the patient is unconscious; tell the patient what you are doing and why,” She added that when patients are conscious, nurses should ask open-ended questions and give the patient and family time to respond.  

7. Keep personal conversations out of earshot. Nurses should be able to enjoy themselves at work, but the patients may not appreciate hearing things like nurses catching up about Inequality. Similarly laughing and joking in the nurses’ station within hearing of acutely ill patients can be seen as disrespect.

8. Support a healthy work environment.- Nurses should work in Patient Friendly Environment as it is role model for Professionalism.

“Organizations also need to have zero tolerance polices about disrespectful and abusive behaviors for the Nurses"