Deck 21: Ethnicity and Cultural Assessment

Question 1

A home health care nurse is visiting the home of a patient whose culture is totally unfamiliar to the nurse. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Perform nursing care with a high degree of professionalism.
B) Watch family interaction patterns closely and try to copy them.
C) Tell the family you need to learn about their culture.
D) Apologize after performing tasks that make the patient uncomfortable.

Answer 1

Watch family interaction patterns closely and try to copy them.

Question 2

A nurse is caring for a refugee patient who wants the community shaman to perform a healing ritual at the bedside. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Work with the patient to allow the shaman to perform the ritual.
B) Investigate whether the ritual will harm the patient.
C) Check to see if the ritual breaks laws or policies.
D) Offer to call the hospital chaplain instead.

Answer 2

Work with the patient to allow the shaman to perform the ritual.

Question 3

The nurse is caring for a patient from a different cultural background. What action by the nurse best demonstrates cultural maintenance?

A) Assist the patient with a healing ritual.
B) Teach the patient a heart healthy diet.
C) Instruct the patient on monitoring blood glucose.
D) Discuss what self-care activities the patient is willing to do.

Answer 3

Assist the patient with a healing ritual.

Question 4

The nurse is caring for a patient from a culture that is unfamiliar. The patient nodded her head "yes" when asked if she will take her prescriptions as ordered, but the nurse discovers the patient does not take the medication but uses herbs for treatment. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Warn the patient of the consequences on noncompliance.
B) Tell the patient how the medication will help the condition.
C) Ask the patient why herbal preparations are preferred.
D) Ask the patient to explain the meaning of the herbal products.

Question 5

The student nurse learns that which item is the most important symbolic aspect of culture?

A) Flags
B) Language
C) Art
D) Music

Question 6

What does the nursing student learn about race?

A) It is biologically based.
B) It is a social construct.
C) It is chosen by the person.
D) It helps establish superiority.

Question 7

A student nurse is caring for a patient who is a refugee. The patient will take his own blood glucose readings and will self-administer a set dose of insulin but will not follow a sliding scale regimen in which the patient has to choose what dose of insulin to give. What action by the student nurse is best?

A) Ask the provider to prescribe only a set insulin regimen.
B) Instruct the patient on the benefits of sliding scale insulin.
C) Teach the patient that strict carbohydrate limits are needed.
D) Ask the patient to explain the meaning of making this decision.

Question 8

A patient in the emergency department needs an emergency operation. The patient refuses to consent and wants the nurse to call a respected elder in the community for consent. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Explain that this violates privacy laws.
B) Call the elder to get consent for the operation.
C) Tell the woman she has the right to consent.
D) Arrange for admission without the operation.

Question 9

A nurse has been told he has many obvious stereotypes about a specific cultural group. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Ask to not care for members of this cultural group.
B) Ask to take care of as many members of this group as possible.
C) Begin to educate himself on aspects of this cultural group.
D) Vow to not allow his stereotypes to show when providing care.

Question 10

A nurse is caring for a homeless patient and tells the manager, "I will make sure he doesn't steal food from our nourishment center." What action by the manager is best?

A) Tell the nurse she is right to monitor the patient's activity.
B) Inform the nurse that not all homeless people will steal.
C) Educate the nurse that hunger might make the patient steal.
D) Remind the nurse to initiate a social work consultation.

Question 11

A patient from an unfamiliar culture appears disinterested when the physician is telling her about options for treatment of a new diagnosis. After the physician leaves, the nurse attempts to talk to the patient and notices the same behavior. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Give the patient the information in writing to read later.
B) Ask the patient about the meaning of the patient's behavior.
C) Investigate nonverbal communication patterns of this group.
D) Leave the patient alone to come to terms with the diagnosis.

Question 12

The new nurse tells the preceptor that since she is not prejudiced against ethnic minorities, they will not be discriminated against while in the hospital. What statement by the preceptor is most appropriate?

A) Discrimination can occur at the societal level.
B) The hospital needs more nurses like her.
C) Prejudice and discrimination are not the same thing.
D) There is always some discrimination against minorities.

Question 13

The nurse is caring for a patient from a different culture. After assessing the patient and formulating the care plan, what action by the nurse is best?

A) Review the care plan for acceptance by the patient.
B) Delegate appropriate tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel.
C) Go over the care plan with the charge nurse.
D) Begin implementing the planned interventions.

Question 14

A nursing student wants to observe enculturation practices of an ethnic minority community. What action by the student is best?

A) Attend a community dance.
B) Learn to cook an ethnic meal.
C) Visit the group's worship service.
D) Observe a grandmother teaching a child.

Question 15

The nurse is working with a patient from an unfamiliar culture. After assessing the patient and the patient's cultural beliefs related to health care, what action by the nurse is best?

A) Create a nursing plan of care for the patient.
B) Recheck cultural beliefs with the patient.
C) Use a standard plan of care for consistency.
D) Have an interpreter validate the information.

Question 16

A charge nurse works on an inpatient unit in a diverse city. To provide culturally congruent care to the patient, which action by the nurse would be most appropriate?

A) Using puns and sarcasm to help draw the patient into sharing information
B) Working to understand the socioeconomic status of the patient so teaching is culturally sensitive and appropriate
C) Assuming a patient from a minority population does not have the economic means to pay for home care follow-up
D) Admonishing a Hispanic patient for showing up for a preoperative teaching class 15 minutes late

Question 17

A nurse is working with a patient who has limited English proficiency. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Use a qualified interpreter.
B) Ask family members to translate.
C) Use drawings and pictures.
D) Speak in simple sentences.

Question 18

A patient refuses to take his blood pressure medication because "I feel totally fine and don't need it." What action should the nurse take first?

A) Assess the patient's time orientation.
B) Document the patient's noncompliance.
C) Educate the patient about the medication.
D) Warn the patient about possible complications.

Question 19

A new graduate nurse tells the manager that she does not believe she needs more in-service training on culturally congruent care because she already recognizes that there are significant differences among cultures to consider when providing care. What response by the manager is best?

A) "You have done a great job becoming culturally competent."
B) "Providing culturally congruent care takes ongoing work and effort."
C) "That is a great start but be sure to sign up for the in-service."
D) "Cultural sensitivity and cultural competence are not the same."

Question 20

A nursing faculty member is contrasting culture and ethnicity to students. Which statement is most accurate?

A) Culture is biologically determined; ethnicity is chosen.
B) Culture is socially transmitted; ethnicity is identification with a group.
C) Culture is a chosen identity whereas ethnicity is biologically based.
D) Culture and ethnicity are similar constructs used interchangeably.

Question 21

The nurse is using Giger and Davidhizar's Transcultural Assessment Model to gain information about a patient from an unfamiliar culture. What questions does the nurse ask that are relevant to this mode?

A) "Who would you like present to help answer questions?"
B) "What do you believe caused your current illness?"
C) "How important is planning for the future to you?"
D) "Why don't you want to shake my hand?"
E) "What activities would you do to control your health?"

Question 22

The student studying culture learns that which are characteristics of all cultures?

A) Integrated
B) Shared
C) Learned
D) Symbolic
E) Inherited

Question 23

The nurse understands that which are important in the process of developing a cultural identity?

A) School
B) Church/religious institution
C) Family
D) History
E) Community

Question 24

The nursing student learns that which are correct regarding acculturation and assimilation?

A) Assimilation is forced entry into a different culture.
B) Acculturation depends on first-hand contact between groups.
C) Acculturation results in changes to the minority culture only.
D) Assimilation can occur at the group or individual level.
E) Assimilation causes a minority group member to blend into the majority group.

Question 25

A patient has hypertension and is on a very-low-sodium diet. However, the patient is going to celebrate an important religious holiday soon that includes many food items high in sodium. What action by the nurse is best?

A) Tell the patient you are so sorry she can't have any of these foods.
B) Consult with the prescriber about increasing the blood pressure medications.
C) Collaborate with the patient and dietitian to include some of these foods.
D) Tell the patient eating these foods once won't hurt her condition.