Deck 7: Overview of Transcultural Nursing

Question 1

In a small, rural hospital the nurse is caring for a patient who speaks a language other than English. The nurse needs to use an interpreter to communicate but the hospital does not have access to an interpreter who speaks the patients language. When choosing another individual to interpret for this patient, what characteristic should the nurse prioritize?

A) Interpreter should recognize the need to speak in a loud voice.
B) Interpreter should be able to conduct the conversation quickly to avoid misinterpretation.
C) Interpreter should be fluent in several dialects of the patients language.
D) Interpreter should know that repetition must be avoided while interpreting.

Answer 1

Interpreter should be fluent in several dialects of the patients language.

Question 2

You are a community health nurse who provides care to a group of Hispanic people living in an area that is predominantly populated by Caucasian people. How would you characterize the Hispanic people in this community?

A) An underclass
B) A subgroup
C) A minority
D) An exception

Answer 2

A minority

Question 3

A nurse is caring for an elderly woman who predominantly identifies with an East Asian culture. How can the nurse best demonstrate an awareness of culturally congruent care?

A) Maintain eye contact at all times.
B) Try to speak the patients native language.
C) Use touch when communicating.
D) Establish effective communication.

Answer 3

Establish effective communication.

Question 4

An emergency department nurse is preparing to inspect and palpate the head and scalp of an older adult who experienced a fall. A member of which group would most likely consider this examination as a violation of norms?

A) Jewish
B) Asian American
C) Islamic
D) African American

Question 5

The nurse is helping a patient choose her menu options for the following day. The nurse reads out the option of ham with scalloped potatoes and the patient states that her religion does not allow this. Which of the following is most likely the patients religion?

A) Roman Catholicism
B) Buddhism
C) Islam
D) Mormonism

Question 6

The nurse is preparing a discharge teaching session with an Asian patient to evaluate the patients ability to change a dressing. The patient speaks and understands minimal English. What would be the best way to promote understanding during the teaching session?

A) Ask the patient to repeat the instructions carefully.
B) Write the procedure out for the patient in simple language.
C) Use an interpreter during the teaching session.
D) Have the patient demonstrate the dressing change.

Question 7

You are the nurse caring for a patient who is a recent immigrant to the United States from Mexico. Which of the following variables would you prioritize when performing an assessment of the patients cultural beliefs?

A) Patients previous medical history
B) Patients marital status
C) Patients age
D) Patients communication style

Question 8

You are caring for a patient who is terminally ill whose family has requested to hold a spiritual ceremony during which they will be using incense. What would be the best intervention you could make on behalf of this patient?

A) Discourage the use of incense in the hospital.
B) Ask the family to have the ceremony off the unit.
C) Arrange for the ceremony to occur after notifying all departments affected.
D) Encourage the family to conduct the ceremony elsewhere because it may affect other patients in
The unit.

Question 9

A parent informs the nurse that immunizations are contrary to her religious beliefs, and she does not want her child to receive immunizations. The nurse proceeds to inform the parent that the child will be in grave danger of illness all her life and will not be allowed to start school unless she is immunized. The nurse also informs the parent that she had all of her own children vaccinated with no adverse effects. The nurses behavior is an example of what?

A) Acculturation
B) Cultural blindness
C) Cultural imposition
D) Cultural taboos

Question 10

An infant with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis is receiving care on the pediatric unit and the nurses review of the childs electronic health record reveals that the infant has not received any of her scheduled immunizations. The mother informs the nurse that immunizations are against her cultural beliefs, and she does not want her child to receive immunizations. In this scenario, what do the mothers views on immunizations represent?

A) Acculturation
B) Cultural blindness
C) A cultural imposition
D) A cultural taboo

Question 11

In planning the nursing care of a patient who lives with chronic pain, the nurse has included the intervention of therapeutic touch. When categorizing this particular complementary therapy, the nurse should identify it as which of the following?

A) A biologically based therapy
B) A mind-body intervention
C) A manipulative and body-based method therapy
D) An energy therapy

Question 12

You are admitting a patient who is a recent immigrant from China and who has a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. During the patients admission assessment, the patient speaks of her beliefs related to health care and indirectly references the yin/yang theory. Based on her cancer diagnosis and her yin/yang beliefs, which meal will the patient most likely order for lunch?

A) Chicken noodle soup with crackers, fruit crisp, and hot tea
B) Turkey sandwich, small tossed salad, and iced tea
C) Chefs salad, bread, and water
D) Fruit smoothie and granola bar

Question 13

The nurse is admitting a Native American patient with uncontrolled hypertension and type 1 diabetes to the unit. During the initial assessment, the patient informs the nurse that he has been seeking assistance and care from the shaman in his community. The nurse recognizes that the patients blood pressure and his blood sugar level are elevated upon admission. What is the nurses best response to the patients indication that his care provider is a shaman?

A) Thank you for providing the information about the shaman, but we will keep that information and approach separate from your current hospitalization.
B) It seems that the care provided by your shaman is not adequately managing your hypertension and diabetes, so we will try researched medical approaches.
C) Dont worry about insulting your shaman, as he will understand his approach to your hypertension and diabetes was not working after your doctor tells him how sick you were in the hospital.
D) I understand that you value the care provided by the shaman, but we would like you to consider medications and dietary changes that may lower your blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Question 14

The nurse is providing care for an older adult patient who has a diagnosis of shingles. The nurse is aware that this health problem is attributable to the varicella zoster virus. This belief is an example of which paradigm explaining the cause of disease and illness?

A) Biomedical
B) Naturalistic
C) Holistic
D) Factual

Question 15

In your role as a community health nurse, you are focusing your current health promotion efforts on diseases that are disproportionately represented among ethnic and racial minorities. Which of the following diseases would you likely address? Select all that apply.

A) Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
B) Cancer
C) Heart disease
D) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
E) Alzheimers disease

Question 16

Prior to planning health promotion interventions in your local community, you are appraising the key health care indicators in your region and comparing them with those in the nation as a whole. What do these key indicators reveal about the United States?

A) A significant gap in health status between the overall population and people of specific ethnic backgrounds
B) A significant gap in health care delivery between the overall population and subgroups of the minority populations
C) A significant gap in health status between the Hispanic population and the Native American population
D) A significant gap in health care delivery between the Asian American population and the Pacific Islander population

Question 17

You are planning an educational inservice for your nursing colleagues with the goal of fostering culturally competent care. What outcome should you prioritize when planning this education?

A) Participants will acknowledge and adapt to diversity among their colleagues.
B) Participants will develop insight into the characteristics of their own culture.
C) Participants will provide equal care to all patients, regardless of their background.
D) Participants will evaluate their colleagues levels of cultural awareness.

Question 18

The nurse assessing health disparities in the community is focusing on disparities that exist apart from those between ethnic groups. In which of the following groups are these disparities most evident?

A) Urban men
B) People with disabilities
C) People who are single
D) Middle-aged adults

Question 19

You are performing a cultural nursing assessment of a newly admitted patient of Cuban descent. What would you include in your assessment? Select all that apply.

A) Family structure
B) Subgroups
C) Cultural beliefs
D) Health practices
E) Values

Question 20

The quality improvement team at a large, urban hospital has recognized the need to better integrate the principles of transcultural nursing into patient care. When explaining the concept of transcultural nursing to uninitiated nurses, how should the team members describe it?

A) Transcultural nursing is the comparative analysis of the health benefits and risks of recognizable ethnic groups.
B) Transcultural nursing refers to research-focused practice that focuses on patient-centered, culturally, competent nursing.
C) Transcultural nursing refers to a systematic and evidence-based effort to improve health outcomes
In patients born outside the United States.
D) Transcultural nursing is a term used to describe interventions that seek to address language barriers in nursing practice.

Question 21

During an orientation class, the medical units nursing educator is presenting education on transcultural nursing to a group of new nursing graduates. What should the staff educator identify as the underlying focus of transcultural nursing?

A) The underlying focus of transcultural nursing is to enhance the cultural environment of institutions.
B) The underlying focus of transcultural nursing is to promote the health of communities.
C) The underlying focus of transcultural nursing is to provide culture-specific and culture-universal care.
D) The underlying focus of transcultural nursing is to promote the well-being of discrete, marginalized groups.

Question 22

A hospitals written policies and procedures are being reviewed as part of an accreditation process. Which of the following policies are congruent with the principles of culturally competent nursing care? Mark all that apply.

A) A policy that outlines the appropriate use of translation services
B) A policy guiding staff in the care of patients with different values
C) A policy that requires staff from different cultures on each unit
D) A policy that establishes flexible regulations pertaining to visitors
E) A policy that gives priority to patients born outside the United States

Question 23

Giger and Davidhizar (2012) created an assessment model to guide nurses in exploring cultural phenomena that might affect nursing care. When using this model in the care of a patient who has had a transurethral prostate resection (TUPR), what area of care would be influenced most directly?

A) Transferring the patient from a stretcher to a bed
B) Documenting the patients vital signs and level of consciousness
C) Administering a scheduled dose of acetaminophen
D) Explaining the rationale for continuous bladder irrigation (CBI)

Question 24

A 56-year-old woman who emigrated from Vietnam as an adult was admitted with a urinary tract infection, but has now developed urosepsis. The nurse is in the process of changing the patients plan of care accordingly. The nurse should consider what phenomenon that tends to occur in patients of all ages when they are ill?

A) Tendency to regress in language skills
B) Tendency to become more passive
C) Tendency to become more involved in care
D) Tendency to regress in age-appropriate behavior

Question 25

A nurse is auditing the care of a recently discharged patient and is appraising the patients care in light of Leiningers theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. Specifically, the nurse is looking for evidence that caregivers implemented professional actions and decisions that helped the patient achieve a beneficial or satisfying health outcome. What aspect of Leiningers theory is the nurse addressing?

A) Cross-care accommodation
B) Culture care restructuring
C) Cultural reordering
D) Patient modification

Question 26

A nurse is caring for a child with a diagnosis of hemophilia. The child is in need of a blood transfusion, which her familys religious beliefs forbid. What term would best describe this religions beliefs and their impact on health care for this child?

A) Acculturation
B) Cultural imposition
C) Cultural taboo
D) Cultural blindness

Question 27

A nurse has been having a number of challenging nursepatient interactions when providing care for a patient whose surgery was complicated by a medical error. When interacting with patients and families, of what must the nurse be cognizant?

A) Her own level of health
B) The culture of the institution
C) The need to promote acculturation
D) Her own cultural orientation

Question 28

After working with a patient who has human immunodeficiency (HIV) for several weeks, the nurse has become more aware of the role of health disparities. Which of the following variables are known to underlie health disparities? Select all that apply.

A) Poverty
B) Isolated geographic location
C) Overdependence on publicly funded facilities
D) Male gender
E) Allergy status

Question 29

The future of transcultural nursing care lies in finding ways to promote cultural competence in nursing students. How can this goal be best accomplished?

A) By offering multicultural health studies in nursing curricula
B) By enhancing the content of community nursing classes
C) By requiring students to care primarily for patients from other ethnic groups
D) By screening applicants according to their cultural competence

Question 30

A nurse provides care in an inner-city hospital that serves a culturally diverse population. When attempting to foster positive and therapeutic nursepatient interactions, the nurse should recognize that these interactions are primarily dependent on what variable?

A) The knowledge of patient tendencies during illness
B) The nurses ability to work with a multicultural health care team
C) The ability to understand and be understood
D) Cultural diversity among the unit staff

Question 31

A nurse who provides care on a busy medical unit is aware that his own beliefs do not always coincide with the beliefs of patients from some cultural backgrounds. What aspects of patient care may be most influenced by diverse cultural perspectives?

A) Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
B) Monitoring fluid balance
C) Monitoring food intake
D) Obtaining informed consent

Question 32

Touch, to a great degree, is culturally determined. When providing care for a patient who belongs to a Hispanic culture, which of the following may be considered inappropriate in a health care setting?

A) Grandmothers helping in the care of pediatric patients.
B) Patients asking questions of health care providers.
C) Health care information being given to a female member of the family.
D) Males participating in health care activities.

Question 33

A 54-year-old African American man has presented for a follow-up appointment shortly after being diagnosed with hypertension and being placed on an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. The nurse takes the patients vital signs at the beginning of the appointment and obtains a blood pressure of 177/96 mm Hg. What factor should the nurse consider in light of the patients sustained high blood pressure?

A) The patients culture may not prioritize taking a medication on a regular basis.
B) Biologic variations may be influencing the effectiveness of the medication.
C) The patients culture may not acknowledge symptom-free problems such as blood pressure.
D) The patients diet may be negatively affecting the effectiveness of the medication.

Question 34

A nurse is planning the care of a 48-year-old woman who has just received a diagnosis of breast cancer. The patient has been explicit about her desire to integrate a variety of complementary therapies into her treatment regimen. What is the nurses primary responsibility around the use of complementary therapies?

A) To become skilled in administering as many complementary therapies as possible
B) To liaise between practitioners of complementary therapies and the medical team
C) To examine the evidence base underlying each of the patients chosen complementary therapies
D) To assess the patients use of complementary therapies in order to promote safety

Question 35

Agency policies are important to achieve culturally competent care. When reviewing a hospitals current policy framework, which of the following actions has the potential to improve the overall level of culture competence?

A) Reducing the institutions dependence on English for communication
B) Promoting members of minority groups to higher profile positions
C) Eliminating written information from staff members identification badges
D) Creating greater flexibility in visiting hours

Question 36

A nurse is describing and demonstrating the technique for emptying a Vietnamese patients surgical drain, knowing that the patient will soon be discharged home with the drain in place. As the nurse is explaining, the patient laughs at times that appear unrelated to what the nurse is saying or doing. How should the nurse best understand the patients behavior?

A) The patients sense of humor is culturally mediated and may be unfamiliar to the nurse.
B) The patient may believe that she has sufficient knowledge and skill to empty the drain.
C) The patient may be unable to fully comprehend the information the nurse is trying to convey.
D) Individuals from the patients culture may not normally explain and demonstrate at the same time.

Question 37

A nurse is providing care for a female patient who is Hispanic. The care team is discussing the patients nutritional status and one of the nurses colleagues states, I suppose we should try to get her some tacos or burritos since thats what shes probably used to. How should the nurse best interpret the colleagues statement?

A) The colleague may have stereotypical views of Hispanics.
B) The colleague is exemplifying the process of acculturation.
C) The colleague is aware of the dietary characteristics of Hispanic culture.
D) The colleague may harbor resentment against Hispanics.

Question 38

Computed tomography of a 72-year-old woman reveals lung cancer with metastasis to the liver. The patients son has been adamant that any bad news be withheld from his in order to protect her from stress, stating that this is a priority in his culture. How should the nurse and the other members of the care team best respond?

A) Explain to the son the teams ethical obligation to inform the patient.
B) Refer the family to social work.
C) Have a nurse or physician from the patients culture make contact with her and her son.
D) Speak with the son to explore his rationale and attempt to reach a consensus.