Cultural assessment

Cultural Assessment
Name
Institution

Health care is a pertinent facet of an individual’s life, but culture tends to pay a significant role in determining one’s health status. Each culture is rooted in a particular practice in traditional medicine that has either become replaced by western medicine or acts as a vehicle through which western medicine is introduced. The latter is the approach that can be used to yield effective results among the Chinese. Hence, this paper reviews evidence on Chinese perceptions and attitudes towards health care.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common in the west while traditional Chinese medicine has been at the forefront of medicine in China because it is rooted to Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism philosophies that are the pinnacle of the Chinese people (Chung et al., 2014). However, even though medicine has evolved to incorporate a patient’s beliefs, CAM is not regarded an integral part of the health system in the west as traditional Chinese medicine is deemed pertinent to Chinese health system. It is apparent that the Chinese philosophies form the backbone of the Chinese health care system, unlike western medicine that relies on empirical evidence. This study by Chung et al. (2014) affirm the strong belief in cultural heritage by indicating that Chinese immigrants handle health issues based on their cultural values.
Thereby, in a study by Clough, Lee, and Chae (2013), health beliefs are highlighted as one of the barriers to the use of health care services by Asians living in the United States, who include the Chinese.

Despite the fact that Asians have limited access to health resources and have a low utilization rate of the health care system, these individuals are shown to be healthier compared to other racial groups within the United States. Even though sampling bias might be presumed to interfere with such findings because a healthy and youthful population might have been used in these studies cited in Clough et al. (2013), Chung et al. (2012) indicate the efficacy of TCM as an effective intervention. The proper adoption of TCM can yield equally effective health care outcomes as those derived from western medicine. Controversy prevails because a delay in access to western medicine is associated with reduced chances of survival and especially when chronic illnesses like cancer are involved. In areas like Taiwan where TCM has been incorporated into the main health care system, western medicine has little influence on the people’s attitudes and perceptions.
Chinese deem some illnesses as shameful like mental illnesses; thereby, they tend to hide these kinds of illnesses to prevent bringing shame to themselves. Thereby, as noted earlier, exacerbating inaccessibility to health care. The Chinese have a strong affinity to their cultural heritage which is based on Confucianism (Dong, Li, Chen, Chang, & Simon, 2013). TCM is based on Confucian philosophies; hence, compared to other cares and ethnicities, it is important to acknowledge Chinese background that is strongly attached to Confucianism so as to comprehend their attitude towards health care. Subsequently, this can help to encourage health care use among the Chinese.
A descriptive study by Lee et al. (2014) further supports the role of cultural heritage in the health care of Chinese people. It seems that the Chinese do not trust western medicine but the availability of linguistically and culturally competent health care providers gives these professionals a competitive edge over traditional care providers (Smith et al., 2013). Lee et al. (2014) illustrate this concept using attitudes of studied pregnant women.
Despite the fact that Chinese people might be dispersed beyond their national borders, they carry their cultural heritage, which strongly influences their behavior and interaction with the environment, wherever they go.

References
Chung, V. C. H., Ma, P. H. X., Lau, C. H., Wong, S. Y. S., Yeoh, E. K. and Griffiths, S. M. (2014). Views on traditional Chinese medicine amongst Chinese population: a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies. Health Expect, 17, 622–636.
Clough, J., Lee, S., Chae, D. H. (2013). Barriers to health care among Asian immigrants in the United States: A traditional review. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 24, 384-403.
Dong, X., Li, Y., Chen, R., Chang, E., & Simon, M. (2013). Evaluation of community health education workshops among Chinese older adults in Chicago: A community-based participatory research approach. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 1(1), 170-181.
Lee, T., Landy, C. K., Wahoush, O., Khanlou, N., Liu, Y., & Li, C. (2014). A descriptive phenomenology study of newcomers’ experience of maternity care services: Chinese women’s perspectives. BMC Health Services Research, 14, 114. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-114.
Smith, A., MacEntee, M. I., Beattie, B. L., Brondani, M., Bryant, R., Graf, P., … Wong, S. T. (2013). The influence of culture on the oral health-related beliefs and behaviours of elderly Chinese immigrants: A meta-synthesis of the literature. J Cross Cult Gerontol, 28, 27-47.