Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Native Appalachian Nurses Evaluation of Cultural Competency Issues with Rural Appalachian Patients
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This paper analyzes the experience of native Appalachian nurses within the healthcare system in the Southern Appalachian region in order to determine issues which occur when non-native Appalachian health care providers care for rural Appalachian patients. One often overlooked component cause of health disparities between Appalachian and the rest of America is cultural disconnect between health care provider and patient. In rural, underserved mountain areas, healthcare providers have often been recruited from outside the region or even from outside the country. Providing specific, culturally sensitive training, targeted to health care professionals, who work within Appalachia, will improve the quality of care and health outcomes residents in Appalachia experience. I will describe interviews conducted for my thesis with native Appalachian nurses in order to explore the difficulties and challenges that arise when non-native Appalachian nurses interact with rural Appalachian patients and how it can be improved. Data obtained from these interviews will assist me in designing workshops for health care providers to provide pertinent information related to the rural Appalachian patient’s culture, values, beliefs and language in order to meet the most relevant gaps in knowledge. Providing cultural competency training to health care providers in the Southern Appalachian region will improve communication with patients and providers, patient compliance will be improved, and overall health outcomes will increase. This will do much to decrease health care disparities experienced by patients in the Southern Appalachian region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
I have been a Registered nurse for many years and I am interested in developing cultural competency workshops for health care providers in Appalachia. I am a graduate student in Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University, focusing on Appalachian culture.
Native Appalachian Nurses Evaluation of Cultural Competency Issues with Rural Appalachian Patients
This paper analyzes the experience of native Appalachian nurses within the healthcare system in the Southern Appalachian region in order to determine issues which occur when non-native Appalachian health care providers care for rural Appalachian patients. One often overlooked component cause of health disparities between Appalachian and the rest of America is cultural disconnect between health care provider and patient. In rural, underserved mountain areas, healthcare providers have often been recruited from outside the region or even from outside the country. Providing specific, culturally sensitive training, targeted to health care professionals, who work within Appalachia, will improve the quality of care and health outcomes residents in Appalachia experience. I will describe interviews conducted for my thesis with native Appalachian nurses in order to explore the difficulties and challenges that arise when non-native Appalachian nurses interact with rural Appalachian patients and how it can be improved. Data obtained from these interviews will assist me in designing workshops for health care providers to provide pertinent information related to the rural Appalachian patient’s culture, values, beliefs and language in order to meet the most relevant gaps in knowledge. Providing cultural competency training to health care providers in the Southern Appalachian region will improve communication with patients and providers, patient compliance will be improved, and overall health outcomes will increase. This will do much to decrease health care disparities experienced by patients in the Southern Appalachian region.
