Impact of Cultural Influences
in Drug Administration
The cultural background of the patient and of the patient’s family can impact the
administration of medication. Cultural influences are learned values, beliefs,
customs, and behavior. These influences include the patient’s belief about health
such as:- What healthcare can do for the patient
- The patient’s susceptibility to disease
- The benefits of taking steps to prevent disease
- What makes a patient seek healthcare
- What makes a patient follow healthcare guidelines
For example, a patient who is a coal miner may believe that all coal miners
will eventually have lung cancer. In that case, the patient feels there is no bene-
fit to stop smoking. Another patient may avoid taking pain medication for fear
that they might become addicted.
Some cultures have their own beliefs about how to prevent and cure disease.
For example, although garlic does lower blood pressure, taking garlic as an herbal
cure might be dangerous if the patient is also taking antihypertensive medication
because the patient’s blood pressure could be lowered too much. Herbal reme-
dies are preferred by some cultures over traditional Western medicine and some
patients continue herbal treatment even when a mild illness progresses to a crit-
ical level.
Healthcare providers can have different beliefs than their patients. A patient
may refuse any treatment because of the sole belief in the healing power of
prayer. Healthcare providers must be nonjudgmental and tolerate alternative
beliefs in healthcare even if those beliefs are harmful to the patient. When con-
fronted with cultural differences that can result in an adverse effect to the patient,
healthcare providers can educate the patient about the benefits of medications
and treatment and the risk that the patient is exposed to by not following rec-
ommended treatment. This information is sometimes best given while the health-
care provider is assessing the patient. The nurse should be careful to remain
nonjudgmental about the patient’s decisions.
Cultural beliefs can also influence who makes healthcare decisions for the
family. In most cultures, women are typically responsible for managing the fam-(^52) CHAPTER 3 Pharmacology and the Nursing Process