Guidelines for Providing Postnatal Care to Mothers with Transcultural

Abstract

Thailand is growing both in social and economic aspects. As a result, Thailand becomes a destination for migrant workers that in fact help to drive the economy. After most migrants have been working for a certain period of time, seek a stable life by building a family and extending their race. It can be seen from the reports of migrant workers using services in the public hospitals. Their most used service is child delivery. However, those mothers have not returned for the postnatal care service, resulting in health complications and affecting the continuous care. It also affects the economy because these migrants are considered critical human resources. The reasons migrant mothers do not go to receive postnatal care are belief and cultural differences, as well as the inability to communicate. These problems directly affect nursing professions who are the first caregiver supervises these mothers during the postnatal period closely. This is especially difficult when the culture and believes are firmly involved in the practice in Asian societies. Nurses need to have knowledge and understanding of postnatal care for mothers from different belief and cultural backgrounds such as folk medicine, the use of herbs, and the abstinence of certain foods believed to affect maternal health negatively. Hence, the following guidelines mean for nurses to provide postnatal care for mothers from a transcultural: 1. Protect the mother’s after-birth rights which are respecting mother’s dignity after birth and negotiating treatment methods in place of the mother after delivery. 2. Be self-analysis but not self-determination in making decisions. 3. Have cultural knowledge. 4. Have cultural sensitivity. 5. Communicate with cultural awareness. Nurses must have communication skills that are consistent with the culture, properly choose methods of communication which are oral communication (via an interpreter), providing information through bilingual materials or bilingual guides along with non-speaking communication. 6. Encourage and promote postnatal mothers to be capable of self-care. Appropriate care guidelines will give rise to trust and believe that nurses can be their leader regarding health issues. With these feelings, postnatal mothers will return to receive the postnatal care at the hospitals.