Connecting with CultureVision

Connecting with CultureVisionTM

Spring 2015

CultureVisionTM Making a Difference at UI Health Care

The adult psychiatry unit on 2JPW is a great example of how CultureVision has benefited faculty, staff, patients, and families as patients are treated.

Mental illness has an attached stigma that can make diagnosis and treatment of patients extremely difficult. This is particularly true for international patients whose cultures and belief systems whose cultures and belief systems may sitgmatize mental health issues. Many families simply don't have words in their languages to explain that their son or daughter has paranoid schizophrenia.

Leah Appell, BSN, RN, RN-BC (Mental Health Nursing), is Nurse Manager on 2JPW. She shared an instance of a suicidal patient from Myanmar (Burma), who was admitted to their unit. After leaping the first hurdle of communication (the patient could not speak English, nor were there resources available to help translate for the patient), the faculty and staff used CultureVision to learn more about the patient's belief system and cultural perception of mental illness.

"CultureVision allowed us the opportunity to look up details about how they perceive mental health in their culture," said Appell. She explained that the health care team was better able to tailor their approach to treating their patients and communicating

with families about diagnoses and treatment with the help of CultureVision.

Other patient populations on 2JPW have expressed their gratitude to the staff taking it upon themselves to become more familiar with their personal circumstances by using CultureVision as part of the diagnosis and treatment protocol.

Appell noted that they have had many transgender patients, some of whom are making the full transition from their natal gender to their current gender. These patients are especially grateful for the understanding exercised by faculty and staff when they use personal pronouns appropriate to the patient's gender.

Appell also noted that 2JPW further extends cultural understanding for their transgender patients by assigning patients to rooms with roommates of the same gender as the one with which the patient identifies.

The 2JPW staff, who are quite diverse themselves, are very receptive to using CultureVision to not only help their patients, but to learn more and better understand their co-workers' cultures, too.

Accessing CultureVision on your Voalte Phone: There's an App for that (coming soon)!

An icon for CultureVision is available on Voalte phones, making it readily accessible to most hospital personnel. Cook Ross, Inc. is developing a CultureVision app, available by the end of 2015.

CultureVision is brought to you by UI Health Care and the Office of Cultural Affairs and Diversity Initiatives

medicine.uiowa.edu/ diversity

LGBTQ2 Update

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is a national leader in health care by having its own Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning Clinic. The clinic, which is held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday evenings on Level 4 of UI Health Care?Iowa River Landing, provides comprehensive primary care for adult and child (over 10) LGBTQ patients delivered by providers and staff with expertise in the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. Every member of the LGBTQ Clinic staff has undergone training through the Safe Zone Project to ensure an environment that is welcoming and affirming for all patients.

In addition to receiving specialized care at the UI LGBTQ Clinic, LGBTQ2 community members are patients in all our outpatient clinics and inpatient units. Access to the latest research and information helps us provide compassionate care by well- informed providers.

CultureVisionTM recently announced the release of an updated LGBTQ2 section that features new research, data, and cultural information on the LGBTQ2 and Two-spirited community.

CultureVision has paid particular attention to two very important topics:

? The movement for marriage equality, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court for consideration, and

? Issues faced by transgender persons in health care.

CultureVision has been updated to discuss the health implications of the Court's decision on the Defense of Marriage Act, and marriage equality in general. Similarly, CultureVision is providing tools health care providers need to offer culturally competent care to the transgender community.

Here is a sampling of CultureVision insights about the LGBTQ2 community:

? It is not uncommon for LGBT individuals to postpone or avoid seeking health care for fear of discrimination or mistreatment because of past experiences. Additionally, services and providers who are specifically trained and knowledgeable about LGBT issues are limited (GLMA Healthy People companion, 2001).

? It is best to refer to transgender individuals by the name and gender they use to refer to themselves.

? In a survey of transgender adults, 50 percent reported their need to

teach their medical providers about transgender care (Grant, et al., 2010). ? On forms and written questionnaires, provide explicit options to questions about marital status, current and natal gender, sexual orientation, and parents for inclusion of diverse individuals and families (HRC HEI, 2014; AAFP, 2015).

For more information on providing culturally competent care to LGBT2 patients, access CultureVision through The Loop or The Point.

Did you know?

The use of mind-altering drugs, other than for medicinal purposes (e.g., easing of severe pain, or restoration of health) is forbidden in the Greek Orthodox faith (Harakas 2009; Fitzgerald 2009).

Now you know...

Stoicism is highly valued in Korean culture, and many Koreans believe that suffering is a part of life (Kline & Huff 1999).

Health care providers should be aware that many Korean patients will often not express their pain. Patients should be asked very specific questions in order to locate pain and determine its nature.

First Quarter shows strong use of CultureVisionTM

Cook Ross Inc., the developers of CultureVisionTM, have informed us that faculty and staff at University of Iowa Health Care have eagerly embraced CultureVision since it was introduced and implemented across the house in fall 2014.

As an employer, UI Health Care has a very diverse staff that serves the health care needs of an equally diverse population. Patients from all over the world seek their health care at UI Hospitals and Clinics, and our faculty and staff understand the necessity of being well prepared to serve all of our patients to the best of our abilities.

Just in the first quarter of 2015 (January 1 through March 31), there have been 12,507 total hits on the CultureVision website by UI Hospitals and Clinics faculty and staff.

There were 8,641 searches of 57 "groups," which include ethnic groups, religious groups, and additional communities, such as LGBTQ2. The top five groups searched included: white--non-Hispanic (576 hits), Russian (501), Mexican (468), American Indian (354), and Afghan (295). Other groups with high incidents of access included Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Amish, and Roma/Gypsy.

Additionally, there were 8,887 searches under 76 "categories," which include such things as beliefs, religion, and spirituality; diet and nutrition; labor, birth, and after care, and gender role. The top searches within Category were beliefs, religion, and spirituality; family and social issues; language and communication; and concept of health.

CultureVisionTM Training to Begin Soon

Denise Martinez, MD, the Assistant Dean for Cultural Affairs and Diversity Initiatives in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, announced that training sessions on the use of CultureVisionTM will begin this spring.

Training will stress the importance of addressing the needs of increasingly diverse populations and offering culturally responsive care to our patients. For example, if you are providing care for a pregnant woman from Sudan, it would be helpful to learn that some Sudanese women, particularly Nuer women, may eat a salty clay during pregnancy to increase their appetite and decrease nausea. Other Sudanese traditions include women needing to satisfy food cravings immediately for fear of harming the mother or her child.

The key points to providing culturally responsive care include our ability to obtain cultural knowledge, obtain cultural skills, have an open attitude, be selfaware, and have an awareness of others.

All UI Health Care faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in training in the use of CultureVision. The one-hour training sessions, led by Dr. Martinez, are also recommended as refreshers for CultureVision ambassadors.

Dr. Denise Martinez

Upcoming Training Schedule

CultureVision training is held the first Tuesday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon in W433 GH (elevator BW, Level 4).

Contact janet-Niebuhr@ uiowa.edu to register. Classes are limited to 15 people.

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