Mennonite College of Nursing
At Illinois State University
N237 Cultural and Spiritual Dimensions of Healthcare
Cultural/Spiritual Assessment
The key to completing a Culturalogical Assessment is to remember that you, as the student nurse, are THE
LEARNER. With another member from your class, you are going into this experience to discover the
lifeways and patterns of a people different from your own. It is essential that you ask open-ended
questions/statements and that you be an active listener. Be sure to take turns when asking questions, so that
you both may learn together.
When you and your partner are selecting a person for the Culturalogical Assessment, try to find someone
who is truly from another culture, or a first generation immigrant, who would have been influenced by the
“home culture”. This person may be a relative, family friend, or a person on campus. (Be careful. IF he/she
have been in the United States for many years, he/she may be “acculturated” to the American culture so
much that it would be difficult to define differences in lifeways and cultural patterns.)
Review these principles related to Madeleine Leininger’s Sunrise Model for Culturalogical Assessment:
1.
Pay attention to gender differences, special language terms, and interpersonal relationships.
2.
Show genuine interest and respect – Let the client take the lead – Pay attention to non-verbal cues.
Remember 90% of communication is non-verbal so watch and observe closely.
3.
Be familiar with the Sunrise Model before doing assessment. Develop some basic knowledge of
the person’s culture in advance by reading the literature and your texts, but be sure to remain open
to what the person teaches you.
4.
Remain aware of your own cultural biases and prejudices.
5.
Be aware that clients may belong to subcultures or special groups (e.g. age, growth and
developmental stage) – Keep in mind the range of acculturation of the client.
6.
Nurses should know their own culture with its liabilities, strengths and assets – “KNOW
THYSELF”.
7.
Clarify the purpose of the culturalogical assessment. The goal: Learn to provide culturally
congruent care.
8.
Maintain a realistic or total view of the informant’s world and environmental context by focusing
on the multiple components as depicted in the Sunrise Model (e.g. kinship, education, technology,
religion/spirituality, economic status, nutrition, etc.).
Select a person and arrange a time to interact and complete the following Culturalogical Assessment. You
and your partner should allow 1-2 hours to complete the assessment.
In preparation for the interview, conduct a CINAHL or MEDLINE search and try to find one evidencebased practice article on your person’s culture. It can relate to any aspect of healthcare. Summarize the
cultural implications of the article on nursing practice in one paragraph and include the APA reference on
the article with your summary. Ask Diane Mather, MCN librarian in Milner, for assistance if necessary.
Contact me if you cannot find an EBP article.
The assessment is due on the designated day assigned on the course calendar. Remember this project is
worth 20% of your grade. Both of you will receive the same awarded grade.
MENNONITE COLLEGE OF NURSING
AT
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
N237 Cultural and Spiritual Dimensions of Healthcare
Culturalogical Assessment
Demographics:
Age:
Country of Origin:
How long have you been in the United States?
Ethnic Background:
1. Tell me about yourself.
a. Where were you born?
b. With what cultural group do you associate?
c. Describe the environment of your home where you grew up. (Include such areas
as rural or urban, # of persons in the home, size of home and type, how / why you came
to this country)
2. What was your family like? Describe the leadership roles and responsibilities of
persons in your family. Who makes decisions? What role does family play in times of
illness? Tell us about the role of elders and who cares for them in later years in your
culture.
3. When someone in your family becomes ill, what are the common practices your
family might implement before contacting a health professional? Are there any folk
remedies that you remember that worked or you’ve tried?
4. Tell me about the healthcare delivery system in your native country? How does your
economic status affect your use of the healthcare system? Is insurance available—
how is it paid for? What was it like for you when you came to the US?
5. How do nurses care for people in your culture? How could nurses in this country
better meet your cultural needs when hospitalized? Are there any specific practices or
rituals that would be helpful for me to know if caring for a person from your culture?
6. What is your understanding related to the “cause of illness”? What do you believe
contributes to the development of illness in a person?
7. Tell me about your use of cultural or religious healers. In your native culture, are
there shamans or healers, and how might cultural or religious healers be used by
persons in your culture?
8. What language do you prefer to speak? How many languages do you speak? Tell me
about your ability to read and write in each language.
9. Could you describe your diet including usual foods and special foods? How were
foods prepared at home when you were growing up? How are you preparing foods
today? Any changes? Include a typical breakfast, lunch and supper in your culture.
Are all food groups integrated into all meals?
10. Tell me about the role of religion/spirituality in your daily living. How would you
describe the prevalent religious practices in your native country?
How does religion/spirituality affect your diet? Any feast or fast days—what do you
prepare? Any food restrictions or taboo items?
11. What role does religion / spirituality play in health and illness: Are there any unique
or special spiritual practices implemented in times of illness?
12. Tell me about the role of education in your lifeways.
What is your highest level of education? How would you compare your educational
experience with others from your culture?
13. Whether this assessment is conducted in the client's home or at a neutral location, use
your keen assessment skills to observe this person’s surroundings to see if they offer
any indication of his/her cultural and /or religious affiliations. (Notice his/her
environment e.g. artifacts that reflect spirituality/culture, clothing, speech, non-verbal
signals e.g. eye contact or lack of it, touch, posture, etc.) Write down your
assessment findings.
14. Include the summary of your NURSING RESEARCH ARTICLE and include the
APA citation using the correct APA Format