Selected Key Terms Related to Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness ■ 355
Aromatherapy—Ancient science that uses essential plant oils to produce strong physical and emotional effects in the body. Assimilation—To become absorbed into another culture and to adopt its charac- teristics. To develop a new cultural identity. Ataque de nervios—An attack of nerves, or a nervous breakdown. Average charge—Average amount of monetary charge in hospital bills for dis- charged patients. Average length of stay—The typical number of days a patient stays in the hospital for a particular condition. Ayurvedic—Four-thousand-year-old method of healing originating in India, the chief aim of which is longevity and quality of life. The most ancient existing medical system that uses diet, natural therapies, and herbs. Balance (or equilibrium)—each aspect of the person—physical, mental, and spiritual— carries equal magnitude. Bankes—Small, bell-shaped glass that is used to create a vacuum, placed on a per- son’s chest, to loosen chest secretions. Biofeedback—The use of an electronic machine to measure skin temperatures. The patient controls responses that are usually involuntary. Biological variations—Biological differences that exist among races and ethnic groups in body structure, skin color, biochemical differences, susceptibility to dis- ease, and nutritional differences. Borders—Legal, geographic separations between nations. Botanica—Traditional Hispanic pharmacy where amulets, herbal remedies, books, candles, and statues of saints may be purchased. Bruja—A witch. Caida de la mollera (fallen fontanel)—Traditional Hispanic belief that the fontanel falls if the baby’s head is touched. Calendar—Dates of religious holidays. Many of these dates of observance can change from year to year on the Julian calendar. Care—Factors that assist, enable, support, or facilitate a person’s needs to maintain, improve, or ease a health problem. Celos—Jealousy. Census—The U.S. Census Bureau counts every resident in the United States. The data collected by the decennial census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. Charm—Objects that combine the functions of both amulets and talismans but consist only of written words or symbols. Chinese doctor—Physician educated in China who uses traditional herbs and other therapeutic modalities in the delivery of health care. Chiropractic—A form of health care that believes in the use of “energy” to treat diseases.
356 ■ Appendix A
Complementary medicine—Treatment modalities used to complement allopathic regimens. Citizen—a citizen of the United States is a native-born, foreign-born child of citizens, or a naturalized person who owes allegiance to the United States and who is entitled to its protection. Conjure—To effect magic. Coraje—Rage. Costs—The monetary price of an item or the consequences of ignoring social factors. CULTURALCARE—A concept that describes holistic HEALTH care that is culturally sensitive, culturally appropriate, and culturally competent. CULTURALCARE is criti- cal to meeting the complex nursing care needs of a person, family, and community. It is the provision of health care across cultural boundaries and takes into account the context in which the patient lives as well as the situations in which the patient’s health problems arise. Culturally appropriate—Implies that the health care provider applies the underly- ing background knowledge that must be possessed to provide a given patient with the best possible HEALTH care. CULTURALLYCOMPETENT—Implies that within the delivered care the health care provider understands and attends to the total context of the patient’s situation. CULTURALCOMPETENCE is a complex combination of knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Culturally sensitive—Implies that the health care providers possess some basic knowledge of and constructive attitudes toward the HEALTH traditions observed among the diverse cultural groups found in the setting in which they are practicing. Culture—Nonphysical traits, such as values, beliefs, attitudes, and customs, that are shared by a group of people and passed from one generation to the next; a meta- communication system. Culture shock—Disorder that occurs in response to transition from one cultural setting to another. Former behavior patterns are ineffective in such a setting, and basic cues for social behavior are absent. Curandera(o)—Traditional Hispanic holistic healer. Curing*—Two-dimensional phenomenon that results in ridding the body or mind (or both) of a given disease. Decoction—A simmered tea made from the bark, root, seed, or berry of a plant. Demographic disparity—A variation below the percentages of the profile of the total population with a specific entity, such as poverty, or professional, such as nurs- ing. Comparison with the demographic profile of the total population. Demographic parity—An equal distribution of a given entity, such as registered nurses, and the demographic profile of the total population. Demographics—The population profile of the nation, state, county, or local city or town.
*These terms are defined with their traditional connotations, rather than with modern denotations (compiled over time by R. Spector).