Cultural Diversity in clinical laboratory sciences Essay - 1

Cultural Diversity in clinical laboratory sciences - Essay Example Among the Asians, blood is regarded as the energy of life that is passed on to children by the elders and ancestors and therefore should not be given away. Similarly, the elders among Afro American are highly respected and are considered to be the source of wisdom and knowledge (CultureDiversity.Com). Among the Afro Americans, religion is an indispensable and fundamental component of culture. It is central to their health and wellness believing that God is the giver of good health and can also cause illness. On the other hand, Asians believe in the balance of nature whereby balance is accomplished when the body is healthy and illness arises when this balance is lost. In contrast to the Asian community, the Afro Americans are highly sensitive to racism, which is derived from their history of oppression as slaves of American farmers. For example, restraint on a child who is tied on the bed to effectively apply intravenous lines is viewed by the guardian as a form of oppression based on her past experience with white masters. The reference of a black young man as a boy is also considered to be offensive in the Afro American culture, which is a word associated with slavery by the whites. In contrast to the Afro American, the Asian patient is unlikely to talk about his/her feelings of sickness unless the symptoms are notable by others. Under circumstances of ill health, the Afro American turns to prayers (CultureDiversity.Com). Understanding cultural diversity is useful in establishing the appropriate way to interact with patients from varied cultures. For example, it is important to understand restraint among Chinese patients while avoiding actions that may indicate racial tendencies among the Afro Americans. It is important for healthcare professionals to appreciate cultural diversity since they deal with patients from different cultural backgrounds. The first contact with a patient determines his/her