Hmong Refugee Summary

When Your Patient is a Hmong Refugee, under the American Journal of Nursing, provides guidelines to the medical community in how to effectively understand Hmong patients. To understand this subject, author Betty Rairdan and Zana Rae Higg, conducted interviews with 13 families from five different clans, all refugee families and have resettled in Washington. The families, mentioned many similar ideas that were presented in The Spirit Catches You And You Fall. For instance, all families mentioned the importance of politeness. Under a patrilineal clan, older males would make the decisions. Along the older, Shaman (spiritual leader and healer) would also have authority over decision making when it comes to a person’s illness and procedures. Being polite also comes into play, how a doctor or nurse delivers a bad new. Hmong’s view bad news by mixing it with an element of hope. We see this demonstrated in the book, told numerous times that Lia was going to die, Foua signed for the removal of the meds and IV. Doctor Peggy believed
Even in the mist of many ethnic rules, the authors and even Sukey Waller, the psychologist at Merced Community outreach service, agreed that asking if it is ok? To the Hmong’s can go a long way. Suker Waller, like Fadiman, Conquergood and Jeanine were educated about Hmong culture and beliefs but not everyone in Merced was. Doctors Neil or Peggy, Dan nursing staff, and social workers were not aware of the Hmong way of life. These collisions of mix ideas, control, power over Lia future lead to a tangle of a mess. If the medical staff of Merced were educated about the Hmong spiritual beliefs, would it provide a different result to Lia life? Could guidelines, such as this journal point out, make Hmong more trusting of medical professionals? What can the interaction between Martin and the Lee’s, tell us about education and