Does the FAMCHAT tool enhance the ethnocultural dimensions of nursing assessment at the Royal Alexandra Hospital?
In 2006, nearly 190,000 of Edmonton’s one million residents were foreign born. Among those people, 174,729 — 17 per cent of the city’s population — belonged to visible minority groups (e.g., Chinese, South Asian and Filipino). “Finding ways to deliver first-rate health care in diverse communities is a major concern for nurses and other health-care providers,” says Gina Higginbottom. “Studies show that when we fail to deliver culturally appropriate care, the consequences can range from simple miscommunication and patient discomfort to life-threatening incidents.” The Family Cultural Heritage Assessment Tool (FAMCHAT) was developed as a way to enhance the ethnocultural dimensions of nursing practice and care delivery. This tool facilitates assessment of language; food preferences; ethnocultural dimensions of birth, health and illness; health-care customs around illness and death; and other issues that can affect a person’s journey through the health-care system. Higginbottom and her coll
