SCHOOL Health*Culture ZONE

Introduction Culture & Cultural Factors in School Nursing What is Culture Cultural Assessment Cultural Assessment Tools Instrument Country Specific African Continent Bangladesh China Dominican Republic Germany Haiti Honduras India Israel Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Puerto Rico Vietnam Intercultural Communication &Cultural Competence Cultural Health Practices Visit a Culture Populations Internet & WWW Links Bibliography Contributors Home

Cultural Assessment Tools Cultural Assessment Instrument Country Specific Cultural Assessment Cultural Assessment Instrument Add these or similar questions to your inital health assessment of new pupils: Where was the pupil born? If an immigrant or a refugee, how long has the pupil lived in this country? (You are not questioning citizenship status.) What kind of health & education facilities has the pupil and the family had experience with? Many countries do not offer the privilege of attending school or access to health care that we enjoy in the U.S. Some countries have forms of socialized medicine so families will not have experience with this society's health care system practices that require paying for services. Medical clinics, that provide for the health care needs of pupils, are available in schools in some countries. What is the pupil's ethnic identity? Who are the pupil's major support people: family members, friends, any of the other pupils or families in the district? Who are the dominant family members? This will be useful when you have to contact the home because of health concerns. What are the primary and secondary languages, speaking and reading ability of the family members? What is the level of proficiency in English? If proficiency level is minimal or less, you may need to ask for an English speaking friend or family member to serve as contact person when health concerns or emergency situations arise. How would you characterize the nonverbal communication style? Knowing what is the norm within the culture will facilitate understanding and lessen miscommunication. Eye contact, space, and touch practices may be very different than your sphere of reference. Are the family's religious practices of major importance in daily life: activity or dietary restrictions? What are the health and illness beliefs and practices of the family? What diseases/disorders are endemic to the culture or country of origin? What are the customs and beliefs concerning major life events? (Questions adapted from Lipson & Meleis,1985, by Noreen McGahn) When you do your registration interview of the child and the parents/guardians, you have the opportunity to add cultural assessment questions to your usual inquiries about health status, health history, and immunizations. As you learn more about diseases and disorders that are prevalent in countries of origin, you will be able do observations and add questions about these as well. If your practice doesn't include seeing each new pupil with parents/guardians before classroom admission, you may want to consider adding an entrance health and cultural assessment interview to your routine. It allows you the opportunity to get a comprehensive health history and assess the child's present health status, including checking for communicable and nuisance diseases/disorders (the ubiquitous headlice won't find it so easy to get into your school's classrooms if you can enforce a "no nit policy" starting at enrollment). A registration interview is a most opportune time to do an initial assessment. You also get to observe the child interact with family members. Country Specific Cultural Assessments Pakistan & Puerto Rico have completed School Nursing Assessment & Intervention Tables. The others have links; the tables are coming. African Continent Bangladesh China Dominican Republic Germany Haiti Honduras India Israel Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Puerto Rico Vietnam Intercultural Communication & Cultural Competence Top Back to Culture Home Please report any broken or non-functioning links and any other problems that you experience on these pages.