Why might the woman be upset with the nurse for calling her baby adorable? 

1. The Mexican-American woman might be upset with the nurse for calling her baby adorable because in some cultures, it is believed that if someone praises a child or says something good about them, it could attract the attention of evil spirits and lead to the child falling ill or having bad luck (DeJesus, 2018).

Reference: DeJesus, M. (2018). Cultural traditions: Understanding cultural beliefs related to health and illness. Medsurg Nursing, 27(6), 373-377.

2. The decision to offer pain medication to the Vietnamese woman should be based on her level of pain and her personal preference. Just because she is not vocalizing her pain does not mean she is not experiencing it, as different cultures have different ways of expressing pain. It is important to assess the patient’s pain level and offer pain relief options that are culturally appropriate and consistent with her wishes (Liu, 2020).

Reference: Liu, J. (2020). Pain assessment and management in different cultures. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 16(1), 9-12.

3. The Iranian patient may have become upset with the nurse because she violated the patient’s personal space by trying to help her up without asking for permission. In some cultures, personal space is highly valued, and touching or helping someone without permission is considered inappropriate (Campinha-Bacote, 2011).

Reference: Campinha-Bacote, J. (2011). Delivering patient-centered care in the midst of a cultural conflict: The role of cultural competence. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 16(2), 2.

4. The African-American patient may have reacted differently to the European-American nurse because the use of the word “boy” may have been interpreted as disrespectful, offensive, and racist. In some cultures, the term “boy” is used as a form of racial discrimination against African-American men (Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 2009).

Reference: Mosby’s Medical Dictionary. (2009). Boy. Retrieved from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/boy

5. The nurse could have communicated directly with the deaf woman instead of relying solely on the interpreter. The nurse could have used visual aids such as pictures and written instructions to enhance communication, and made sure to face the patient when speaking to her to facilitate lip reading. It is important to involve the patient in the conversation and not direct all communication through a third party (National Association of the Deaf, n.d.).

Reference: National Association of the Deaf. (n.d.). Health care communication considerations for deaf patients. Retrieved from https://www.nad.org/resources/health-care-communication-considerations-for-deaf-patients/