When Cultural Complicates Care.
Vickie Colley
March 1,2013
According to the case studies about cultural impositions, the Hispanic-American families typically believe that we come to earth to suffer, but that it is our duty to do everything possible to alleviate the suffering or the suffering of those close to us. That includes hiding the details of a poor prognosis. These families also like to join to make the ill person feel like nothing is wrong. I work closely with a large number of Hispanic-American people; their beliefs of life and death are always respected by me. I know from reading this assignment that I need to make sure I have a good understanding of their cultural characteristics. All people should respect the cultural beliefs and values of others. I have been involved in many codes only to wonder why we are doing this. One should ask is this for quality of life versus the quality of days? Most nurses have seen those patients who would have been better off not surviving. During a code, I can always feel my adrenaline pumping and that awesome rush of needing to save a life. We put patients on life support measures at this point only to see no brain activity on the ECG Monitor.
This article also made me think about when my mom was going through the process of actively dying at home with cancer. My dad was having a difficult time dealing with the truth and wanted to not tell mom everything the doctor’s was telling him. Mom was handed a hard last few weeks of life. Dad had to watch her go through all the stages of death and dying. Dad was having a hard time watching mom being in so much pain and her breathing was so labored. I knew she was suffering and I knew we had to tell mom everything. Mom was being given a cocktail of meds at this point. Dilaudid IV and Morphine SL was given around the clock for her...