The Hmong have large, extended families, belong to clans, and the clan leader usually makes healthcare decisions for the entire family. Knowing the culture of a Hmong person will help a healthcare professional assess the person's health. Understanding the Hmong culture will allow the healthcare professional to build a respectful and trusting relationship with the person. Attempts to reduce health disparities must be holistic and the healthcare professional needs to look at the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the person and the person's family. Know the Hmong person as an individual rather than stereotyping the person because you believe all Hmongs behave the same and have the same beliefs (Culture Care Connection website).
To provide culturally competent care for a Hmong patient, the healthcare professional should have respect for the patient, ask which language the patient would like to speak, use a medical interpreter if needed, not the patient's family members. Ask the patient what he or she feels caused the illness, take the time to educate the patient on the illness by scheduling longer appointments, and advise the patient to continue taking medications even if the patient feels better. Provide written education for the patient in Hmong and English because the patient or someone in the family may be able to read Hmong or English (Culture Care Connection website).
An important part of the Hmong culture is a shaman. The shaman is a leader, performs religious ceremonies, and makes decisions when it comes to spiritual healing. The Hmong ask a shaman to help when they are ill to determine if the cause of the illness is in the area of the spirit. If the illness has spiritual causes, the remedy will be religious. The Hmong may want to have a healing ceremony in the hospital (Culture Care Connection website). Please download the video below about a teen shaman conducting a healing ceremony (Wisconsin Public Television website).
To provide culturally competent care for a Hmong patient, the healthcare professional should have respect for the patient, ask which language the patient would like to speak, use a medical interpreter if needed, not the patient's family members. Ask the patient what he or she feels caused the illness, take the time to educate the patient on the illness by scheduling longer appointments, and advise the patient to continue taking medications even if the patient feels better. Provide written education for the patient in Hmong and English because the patient or someone in the family may be able to read Hmong or English (Culture Care Connection website).
An important part of the Hmong culture is a shaman. The shaman is a leader, performs religious ceremonies, and makes decisions when it comes to spiritual healing. The Hmong ask a shaman to help when they are ill to determine if the cause of the illness is in the area of the spirit. If the illness has spiritual causes, the remedy will be religious. The Hmong may want to have a healing ceremony in the hospital (Culture Care Connection website). Please download the video below about a teen shaman conducting a healing ceremony (Wisconsin Public Television website).
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