Topic > The Importance of Cultural Competence in Healthcare: The Case of Nigeria

Nigeria is a country located in West Africa. Nigeria borders Cameroon to the north, Chad to the north-east and Niger to the north. Nigeria originated from British colonialism and gained independence on October 1, 1960. Nigeria is Africa's largest and most popular country "Giant of African or Mama African". The three largest and most powerful ethnic groups in Nigeria are Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. The ethnic group of Nigeria has more than 266 dialects which have made English their primary language for communication, and the entire ethnic group in Nigeria practices different cultural beliefs. When it comes to religion, Nigeria is half Muslim in the northern part and half Christian in the southern part. In the next paragraphs I will discuss my personal and cultural beliefs along with Nigerian cultures and some traditions and how my cultures, values ​​and beliefs may have influenced the way I provide care to my patient. And how my knowledge and acceptance of other people's cultures has helped me provide culturally competent care to my patients. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In my opinion, health is a state that enables the individual to adequately cope with all the demands of daily life, including the absence of afflictions and impairments. The health promotions I practice include regular exercise, healthy diet, annual disease screening, routine dental care, minimizing workplace risks, adhering to vaccinations, practicing safe sex, practicing good hygiene, and avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol and cigarettes. illegal drugs. Health does not really mean the absence of disease or affliction but that the state allows the use of drugs. The cause of the disease depends on a wide range of factors, such as an unusual genetic pattern and lifestyle choices such as smoking, alcohol and fast food consumption. Sometimes an environmental trigger can cause a disease in a genetically predisposed person. Additionally, people with low socioeconomic status are at greater risk of disease due to their inability to readily access healthcare. Pain is subjective, in life, pain is something common and can be expected depending on the type of work performed in a work environment. past to live and what are you doing now. depending on the severity of my symptoms, for example, if I have pain and the intensity is what I can manage at home, I usually use an ice pack with over-the-counter ibuprofen as needed and massage and exercise the site of the pain with menthol . Sometimes I get short of breath when I'm in a hot environment, such as when the heat is too high or with household bleach or cigarette smell. I will start by coughing with a deep breathing exercise or using my rescue inhaler and my symptoms will ease. For nausea and vomiting, I drink hibiscus flower tea from Jamaica. As for constipation, I have no experience with constipation, I go every other day drinking enough water and eating vegetables. For diarrhea, I take an iron tablet or garri powder made from cassava tube and for fatigue, warm milk and sufficient rest will help. Food is very important in individual life based on the nutritional value that comes from it. What we eat is an expression of who we are. If we eat nutrient-dense foods, we will boost our immune system, promote growth and repair weaned tissues, and make us less prone to nutritional deficiency diseases. Choosing nutritious foods supports healthy living. The choice offood we eat every day can benefit or harm our health. So you need to pay attention to what you eat. My idea of ​​a dietary pattern, considering my culture, is three times a day. Depending on the occasion, our food choice may depend on the party or ceremony. It is not necessary to eat three times a day but to make half of each meal with fruit and vegetables. Judging by my culture, I don't think we have food beliefs or ritual. We eat all types of food except unhealthy ones which affect health. My usual diet consists of whole foods that include grains, poultry and low-fat foods, vegetables and fruits. Culturally I have no food bans, but I discourage my family from eating processed foods because they have minimal nutritional value. Hot fish soup cooked with fragrant leaves of fresh herbs, mint leaves and parsley leaves serves as a herbal medicine to burst the appetite of sufferers. In my family we communicate contagiously with each other because we speak the same language. Non-verbal communication is mostly used when we have visitors in the house or are out with children in public places and any non-verbal communication is understood. Greeting is one of the most important parts of my culture. Since childhood, children are taught to greet anyone who is older than them, greeting is a sign of respect. A younger person does not usually reach out to shake an older person. There is time for everything, doing things at the right time or being on time for events such as school, work, doing activities related to the house is very important and is passed on to children. In other words, time is of great importance in whatever we do because wasted time will never be recovered. Generally, our tone of voice is acceptable but may be different in tone than a voice from another culture or tribe. We generally do not invade people's privacy, but we approach people who want our friendship without thinking that they will harm us. It's good to maintain your privacy, but not to the point that you don't communicate with your neighbor. Decision making is one of the things that help you make the right choice. The decision can be made by parents to children on family matters. Again, individuals can make personal decisions that do not affect other family members. Based on my religion and culture, we only believe in male and female gender and each gender has roles. Career choice is not based on gender, but housework is sometimes assigned based on gender. For example, the man washes the car while the woman helps her parent with kitchen work. As for the structure of family relationships, we practice the extended family structure in which a man lives with cousins, aunt, parents and grandparents who are unable to provide for his own needs. It is believed that after parents educate their children, the children will in turn take care of the elderly parent to reciprocate the parents' work. Grown children of the elderly parent may bring their parents to live in their home to receive appropriate care, especially for their health and financial needs. It is not our culture to send our elderly parents to nursing homes. In my culture, children are expected to carry out their responsibilities such as doing laundry, cooking and cleaning the house. Girls do most of the household chores, while boys do small household chores, such as making sure there is water and firewood in the house. Household chores are delegated based on age. But the little ones who are less than 6 years old do not participate in the choresdomestic. They are expected to work hard in their academic work and be good law-abiding citizens. The arrival of a newborn is one of great joy in my culture. During pregnancy, pregnant women take care of themselves starting from the moment friends and relatives learned or were officially informed of the pregnancy. Pregnant women have a higher preference than non-pregnant women. The pregnant woman is not allowed to carry out strenuous activities. They are encouraged to undergo prenatal treatment to avoid complications. During labor, pregnant women are taken to the hospital. Laboring women who have not reached 6 cm dilation or who express delayed labor are encouraged to walk to ease the contraction interval of labor. At this time, women in labor are expected to cooperate with the midwife and doctor to help the labor, for example by doing deep breathing exercises and participating in pushing during labor.in charge of pushing. They are also encouraged to cooperate with doctors in case of complications or when they are told to perform the cesarean delivery method. After the birth of the baby, the new mother and baby are discharged home after 72 hours. Friends and relatives await the arrival of the newborn with a party. The breastfeeding mother practices exclusive breastfeeding for at least one year depending on the individual decision. Due to the high cost of formula, most women introduce their babies to baby food at six months. Mothers who want to breastfeed their babies until about a year old are expected to eat a nutritious meal with enough vegetables. Most of the time, friends and family bring fruits and cooked meals to the nursing mother to help her rest. The breastfeeding mother and baby do not live in the home except in the postnatal period, so the baby will not be exposed to airborne diseases. Nursing mothers are relieved of household chores for the first four months after giving birth because those periods are traditionally believed to be when the new mother can recover. In the few weeks following birth, the father is expected to take care of the mother and baby, cook, take care of older children if there are any, and provide all necessary things for the breastfeeding mother and baby. , traditional law such as killing of cows, goats, rams and so on is observed for people who reach 90 years before death. This type of traditional entitlement is granted based on family income. it is believed that the deceased adult in my culture will never find peace in the afterlife if traditional funeral rites are not performed or denied. The deceased is placed in the morgue for burial and sometimes the body of the deceased may remain there for a few months before burial to help family members raise enough money for the funeral rite. After the burial, the remaining family members should dress in black or white, both young and old women shaving their hair to mourn their death. A year after the mourning, the family members gather to “remove the mourning garment” and perform some ritual and then burn the mourning garment. The idea of ​​people donating any part of their organ is not a common practice in my culture. As for the autopsy, the autopsy can only be performed if there is evidence indicating that there is a hand in the death, especially in the case of poison. When it comes to religions, I am a practicing Christian. My family and I worship God and attend church service. We do morning prayer and read the Bible. Even though I believe in God's healing and miracles.