Nurses’ Opinions on the Use of Health Status Assessment based on a Cultural Model for Transcultural Clients

Abstract

This research aimed to study nurses’ opinions on  use of health status assessment based on a cultural model for transcultural clients. The sample consisted of 40 voluntarily selected registered nurses with more than three years working experience caring for clients from various nationalities in the inpatient department of Bhudasothon hospital. The researcher collected data on the use of the health assessment form using an opinion questionnaire from these nurses and summarized their opinions. The data were analyzed using the median and interquartile range with the median being at least 3.50 and the interquartile range being less than 1.50. These are acceptable criteria for registered nurses to establish a consistent opinion. The results showed that the opinions of professional nurses on the health status assessment based on a cultural model for transcultural clients in terms of importance and suitability were at the highest level. Four main topics and 19 sub-topics were arranged from greatest to least median, as follows: 1) healthcare according to the lifestyle of the service recipients (Mdn =4.81, IQR =.00), 2) lifestyle behavior of the service recipients (Mdn = 4.78, IQR =.04), 3) the environment affecting the health of service recipients (Mdn = 4.75, IQR =.10), and 4) personal factors of service recipients (Mdn = 4.71, IQR =.13). The results showed that the assessment was important and appropriate for use as a health assessment. The researchers hope that this assessment tool will be useful for professional nurses in assessing the health status of their clients in a holistic manner that is congruent with the beliefs and culture of clients.