Cultural Viewpoint of the End of Life: Chinese Culture

NURS 457 – Palliative Care

Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment was to increase student awareness of cultural differences
with End of Life by investigating a cultural/religious group’s views on aging, grieving, death,
and dying.

Student Approach to Assignment

I approached this assignment through a process of inquiry and literature review. It reflects
my personal values and interests by expanding my knowledge of the Chinese culture and how
their culture influences the End of Life process. I learned how to provide culturally competent
care to individuals from the Chinese culture during the End of Life process. I approached the
assignment in the manner I did to learn and improve my knowledge of cultural diversity and
sensitivity.

Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio

I included this assignment in my portfolio to demonstrate my ability to provide culturally
competent care to diverse populations. This assignment represents me as a nurse because I value
a competent approach to diversity and personal awareness of how individual beliefs influence
practice. This assignment demonstrates my strengths through explaining how I would provide
care to a Chinese family during the End of Life period.

• Research
o Applies research-based knowledge from nursing as a basis for culturally sensitive
practice
- I reviewed literature on Chinese culture to expand knowledge and develop culturally
competent nursing interventions.

• Professionalism
o Demonstrates accountability for one’s own professional practice
- In this discussion, I address the importance of understanding personal beliefs and how
they influence the delivery of culturally competent care. To provide the best possible
care to patients, it is important to be accountable for actions and words.
• Culture
o Articulates an understanding of how human behavior is affected by culture, race
religion, gender, lifestyle, and age
- The Chinese culture impacts how a nurse would provide culturally sensitive care. In
this paper I discuss how Chinese culture negatively views the public display of pain.
 Nurses would need to asses for pain in a manner that doesn’t utilize verbal or
emotional cues.

o Integrates knowledge of cultural diversity in performing nursing interventions

- Nursing interventions provided after death are influenced by culture. An example of
this is nurses allowing a Chinese family privacy after a patient death. Chinese
families typically spend up to eight hours with the deceased and morn privately.

o Demonstrates sensitivity to personal and cultural definitions of health, and how these
beliefs influence an individual’s reactions to the illness experience and end of life
- In this paper I discuss how the Chinese views the dying process as non-stressful and
calming experience. A nurse would not communicate directly with the patient in
efforts to minimize disruption and prevent anxiety. During sickness, Chinese families
come together and honor the ill individual. Family support and healing are influential
aspects on health and end of life.

o Considers the impact of research outcomes and, the effects of health and social policies
on persons from diverse backgrounds
- In this paper, I discuss how the oldest male in the family is usually the decision
maker. I also discuss how the primary decision maker filters information and chooses
what information to relay to the patient in efforts to reduce stress. It is hospital policy
and a social policy to view the patient as the center of care and primary decision
maker for healthcare decisions. Nurses should consider the influence of culture on
social and health policy and adjust interventions when appropriate to provide
culturally competent care.

o Maintains an awareness of global environmental factors that may influence the delivery
of health care services
- The impact of culture on nursing care is the focus of this assignment. To fully
understand the influence of culture, global environmental factors need to be taken
into consideration. Distance to healthcare services or lack of healthcare services
available in rural areas influence delivery of health care services globally. On a local
level, these barriers still apply. These barriers are further exasperated by speaking a
foreign language or lack of financial resources. In this assignment, I discussed how in
order to provide culturally competent care nurses need to understand environmental
barriers to patients receiving care. Theses identified influences were taken into
consideration when completing this assignment.