Purnell’s Cultural Assessment Model
Purnell’s Cultural Assessment Model
Purnell’s Cultural Assessment Model
1
Purnell’s Cultural Assessment Model
The Purnell’s cultural assessment model was developed by Larry D Purnell and Betty J Paulanka in 1995 to assist to all healthcare providers.
Larry D Purnell is an adjunct professor holding the PHD in transcultural care in general population and specific cultural profiles
He currently works at Excelsior College, Albany, New York.
Dr. Purnell served as a part-time ICU float nurse at Sibley Memorial Hospital from 1989 to 1991.
Further, he worked as a nursing administration consultant at the Delaware Psychiatric Center from 1991 to 2001 (Anon, 2020).
Cont’d
The model has been translated into various languages such as German, Spanish, Arabic and other languages.
While educating undergraduate students, Larry discovered the need for nurses to be aware of the ethno-cultural beliefs of patients and created a model that can be used in the organizing framework(Purnell, 2005).
Known as a nursing educator, the author has been involved in teaching nurses how to handle transcultural issues in their field for over 45 years.
Overview of the Model
The author argues that professionals can develop cultural competence and adjust care to suit the consumer’s culture and values.
The model entails twelve domains that deals with various aspects.
Purnell considered the domains significant to ascertain characteristics and traits of different ethnicities encountered during medical care.
The domains include emphasizing on heritage, communication, family roles and organization, workforce issues, bio-cultural ecology, high-risk behaviors, nutrition, pregnancy, death rituals, spirituality, healthcare practices, and healthcare professionals(Albougami et al, 2016). The two models can further divided into global and community depending on the patient dealt with.
4
12 Cultural Domains
The domains include emphasizing on heritage, communication, family roles and organization, workforce issues, bio-cultural ecology, high-risk behaviors,
Additionally, nutrition, pregnancy, death rituals, spirituality, healthcare practices, and healthcare professionals(Albougami et al, 2016).
The two models can further divided into global and community depending on the patient dealt with.
12 Cultural Domains Cont’d
The 1st domain is concerned with heritage of person that involves country of origin, geopolitical influence, education level among others.
The second domain involves learning the language and dialects of the people.
The 12th domains involves nurses understanding and appreciating the role of perceptions and traditional medical practices.
7
12 Cultural Domains Cont’d
The first domain is culture and heritage, which includes the country of derivation, the geographical influence of the original and present home, political affairs, economics, educational status, and profession.
Understanding the notions and norms of technology assists in establishing verbal and non-verbal communications.
The 3rd domain entails understanding family and social organizations of individuals. The 8th domain is concerned with how to view and deal with pregnancy.
12 Cultural Domains Cont’d
The 4th domain of Purnell’s cultural model concentrates on work force issues such as gender balance, patient autonomy, and presence of language barriers.
The 7th domain of this model addresses nutritional needs of patients depending on their culture, races and places of origin.
Depending on the ethnic groups, people tend to suffer from certain nutritional limitations and deficiencies thus the need to be addressed.
The 10th domain regards spirituality which includes prayer, meaning of life and the relation to health.
9
12 Cultural Domains Cont’d
Having a healthcare society that follows all workforce rules and conditions provides a smooth way and transition of functions.
Also, the author concedes that nurses must be conversant with non-verbal communication patterns that differs between races.
Therefore, according to Purnell, food consumption is associated with certain rituals may affect health.
Application In the Healthcare Setting
In my healthcare setting, I can utilize the principles of the Purnell model to enhance clear and concise communication to patients from various cultures.
By culturally becoming competent, this model plays a vital role for dieticians to recommend and prescribe nutrition.
Therefore, gathering information about the background of the family of the patient will enhance service delivery at the healthcare facility.
Since the Purnell’s domain addresses workforce issues, the healthcare facility might use the principles racial and gender discrimination that are prevalent at workplaces.
11
Application In the Healthcare Setting Cont’d
Efficient communication enhances patient experiences and creates a close bond between the patients and nurses.
Poor communication often leads to communication between patients and nurses
Gender and racial balances in workplaces helps to maintain motivation and inclusion as people feel a sense of belonging (Guiterrez-Puertas et al, 2020).
Application In the Healthcare Setting Cont’d
Using Purnell’s domain 3, the issue of family and social organization in different ethnicities equips nurses with information needed to make medical decisions.
Regarding the 8th domain, the issue of pregnancy can be understood by nurses and doctors and thus considerations based on perceptions and beliefs.
The healthcare facility can utilize the 6th domain to discourage unhealthy-related behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption which makes users vulnerable to diseases.
The domain also encourages engagement in physical activities as a way of maintaining a healthy body.
13
Application In the Healthcare Setting Cont’d
The model can be applied in understanding the practices and beliefs about death among various cultures.
Therefore, nurses are enlightened on how to deal and communicate with the bereaved incases of patient death.
Finally, various ethnicities engage in different religious and spiritual activities thus using the model, nurses are able to appreciate them.
These spiritual beliefs regarding health and religion tends to reduce prejudice and negative perception of nurses towards patients.
The nurses will consider various post-partum practices and beliefs across various cultures when dealing with pregnant patients.
Death on the other hand is taken differently depending on ethnic group.
14
References
Anon, 2020. Larry Purnell, Phd, presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis who’s who. 24. Available at: https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/471190/larry-purnell-phd-presented-with-the-albert-nelson-marquis-lifetime-achievement-award-by-marquis-whos-who [Accessed March 28, 2022].
Purnell, L. (2005). Purnell’s Model for Cultural Competences. The Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, 11(2), 7-15.
Albougami, A. S., Pounds, K. G., & Alotaibi, J. S. (2016). Comparison of four cultural competence models in transcultural nursing: A discussion paper. International Archives of Nursing and Health Care, 2(3), 1-5.
Gutiérrez-Puertas, L., Márquez-Hernández, V. V., Gutiérrez-Puertas, V., Granados-Gámez, G., & Aguilera-Manrique, G. (2020). Educational interventions for nursing students to develop communication skills with patients: a systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(7), 2241.
