Fundamental Cultural Competence Areas in Buddhism

Buddhist Team Paper: Literature Review
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Buddhist Team Paper: Literature Review
Abstract
Buddhism has remained a dominant way of life that significantly impacts healthcare practices. Connections between the two concepts have emerged in diverse literature, demonstrating their importance in practice. One can use the Purnell model for cultural competence to illustrate fundamental cultural competence areas in Buddhism that healthcare providers should gain to ensure they can provide culturally competent, holistic, and patient-focused services while caring for such communities. The diverse domains, including pregnancy and childbearing practices, spirituality, communication, and death rituals, demonstrate that Buddhists have unique expectations that healthcare professionals should consider while delivering care and formulating interventions.
Literature Review
Caring for patients requires nurses to integrate diverse components for desired outcomes. Purnell and Fenkl (2021) indicate that patients’ cultural consideration in their care is one of the leading determinants of the quality of their perception of the services provided by healthcare professionals and the ease of embracing them. Holland (2018) also recognizes this aspect by demonstrating the unique integration of patients’ religious needs, practices, and other personal considerations related to their culture during care delivery. Such approaches are consistent with culturally competent care that ensures the recommendations from the nurses align with the patients’ views of wellness and other related elements. Nurses rely on the Purnell theory for cultural competence to understand and link culture to all elements of care (Purnell & Fenkl, 2021). According to Kalra et al. (2018), Buddhists represent one of the populations that nurses must remain culturally sensitive to while delivering care in all contexts. As a result, diverse domains of the cultural competence model illustrate the cultural needs while caring for Buddhist patients.
Pregnancy and Childbearing Practices
Fertility-related Practices and Pregnancy Perspectives
Childbearing is a highly respected and religious-inclined period among Buddhists. For instance, as a group that follows the Buddhist culture, Thai people consider pregnancy a duration when the women require increased emotional and physical care (Purnell & Fenkl, 2021). The author indicates that healthcare providers should remain aware of the increased attention and care during this period and tailor their health education and care to meet this expectation. Buddhists believe pregnant women are vulnerable, and the community should work collectively to ensure their health. As a result, everyone, including the mother and husband, plays a fundamental role in their care by being supportive throughout the process. Healthcare providers are also part of this process because of the common health challenges during this period (Guptarak et al., 2020). However, the primary concern is that women have an increased preference for receiving pregnancy-associated examinations and treatments from their female counterparts compared to male professionals. Such an aspect emerges from the concepts of comfort while exposing one’s body, demonstrating the preference for female practitioners. This awareness is critical for nurses and other healthcare professionals to ensure they meet Buddhist women’s diverse cultural needs during pregnancy.
Taboo and Other Practices
Literature reveals that Buddhists are collectivistic-inclined people who require close relations to care for each other in diverse situations. For instance, Giustarini (2017) highlights the respect that individuals gain by providing supportive care to the people in need in their communities. A similar concept emerges in caring for pregnant women. Purnell and Fenkl (2021) indicate that mothers are the leading source of advice during this period, dictating and advising about different practices and behaviors. For instance, among Thai Buddhists, mothers require pregnant women to refrain from unnecessary complaining to ensure their unborn babies remain happy and enjoy happier lives once they are born (Purnell and Fenkl, 2021). Other taboos include avoiding blocking other people along stairways to protect their children from experiencing similar blockages during the delivery. In this culture, people believe that pregnant women should not visit sick people in hospitals or attend burial ceremonies because such aspects expose their fetuses to spiritual haunting or diseases. These taboos also extend to consuming some foods, such as eggs, believed to cause bad smells or scars on unborn babies (Purnell and Fenkl, 2021). Such cultural understanding is critical for healthcare providers to ensure they understand how to approach Buddhist women during this period while providing professional recommendations.
Spirituality
Life Meaning and Sources of Strength
Evidence indicates that spirituality is a comprehensive domain that integrates diverse behaviors and practices influencing individuals’ perspectives about life. Holland (2018) shows that religion is a fundamental element that shapes how people believe and determine the meaning of their lives. The author indicates that Buddhism as a religion plays a significant impact in this concept, making it an essential part of consideration in healthcare for such communities. Purnell and Fenkl (2021) acknowledge that this aspect may vary from one individual to another irrespective of sharing a cultural factor. However, the authors provide an example of the Tais as a Buddhist community where religion is one of the leading influences of individuals’ strength in diverse contexts, including their recovery. For instance, Karla et al. (2018) indicate that the sick believe that in all treatment approaches prescribed by their healthcare providers, Buddha is the qualified physician that provides Dharma, the faultless medicine. Family members also play a significant role in a person’s strength, especially parents, who should support their children irrespective of age. Purnell and Fenkl (2021) indicate that some Buddhists practice the concept of Thum-jai (letting something be) to understand some aspects of life are unchangeable to assist them in accepting such realities and progressing in life. Thus, these beliefs are fundamental in the life meaning of a Buddhist.
Spiritual Beliefs and Healthcare Practices
Buddhism is dominant and influential in diverse areas of Buddhist people. Giustarini (2017) indicate that religious beliefs are fundamental in the perception of healthcare services people seek or how they value them. For instance, Pali Buddhists believe that Upaб№­б№­hДЃka translates to a nurse whose primary duty is to actualize the care Buddha requires (Giustarini, 2017). Karla et al. (2018) indicate that...