Culture Care Values, Beliefs and Practices Observed in Empowerment of American Indian Community Health Representatives

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) primary health care model emphasizes intervention at the home and family level, partnerships with the community, collaboration with lay community health workers, and prevention. Thus, the model has significance for nursing. Among the population groups in the United States, American Indians show the greatest disparity from the norm in access to health care and outcomes of care.* This study addresses the primary health care principle of community involvement in health using an empowerment model, with a participatory action research approach, informed by the ethnonursing method of Madeleine Leininger. The population of interest is American Indian community health representatives of the Northern Plains.

Group interviews and individual interviews of community health representatives (CHRs) were analyzed for culture care values, beliefs and practices, which reflect empowerment of CHRs to care for their people. The implications of nurses working with indigenous outreach workers to improve the health of communities were identified. Relevant research from the social and health sciences is critiqued.

* The terms American Indian, Native, and Indian are used instead of Native American, as is common in the language of the Northern Plains tribes.