Family in Spain
Week 3 Heading link
Julia Tangen, BSN Student; Madison Preiser, BSN Student; and Joseph Dechant, BSN Student
During our time here in Spain, especially Seville, it has been very apparent how important family culture is to its citizens. Family is one of the most important values of Spanish culture. Family is relied on for everything and they always provide support for each other. Walking down the streets of Seville you could see the family-oriented culture. We were constantly passing families that extend beyond the immediate members. We ate at restaurants next to families, and with every cultural excursion, we were surrounded by families. Beyond observing the family culture out and about, it had an even greater presence in our hospital experiences.
Upon entering the hospital, there was not a single person who appeared to be alone. Each floor we were able to visit and each patient’s room we entered, there was at least one family at the bedside. It was eye opening how involved all the family members were in the care of the patient. They assisted the nurses in doing various tasks, asked lots of questions, and would consistently come to the nurse’s station for anything they may need. For example, in Spain, a patient’s family member was given the medication from the nurse and then the family member was able to give it to the patient. This also showed the amount of trust that the nurses had with the patients’ family members. Another thing I noticed was that if a patient needed something, such as a cup of water, their family member would come to the nurse’s station to get it. Patients and their family members in Spain were very patient and willing to wait if the nurse was very busy with a current task. They would never press the call light unless it was something very serious. It truly appeared that no one lacked the support they need and deserve to heal.
In contrast, I have found family presence in the hospital to be quite lacking in the United States. In my clinical experience, I have had more patients lack a family member at their bedside than those who have a family member present. This could be due to the fact that in the United States, it’s a big deal to miss a day of work even if it’s for a sick family member. Most patients have had limited support, relying on just the staff for their needs. This is a huge contrast to what was stated above due to the fact that patients in the United States will press the call light if they dropped their tissue on the floor by accident and they wanted you to throw it out. Having family members present provides a patient with comfort, support, and additional advocacy for their needs.
A lesson learned from these experiences is to provide that extra support where it is needed, especially for the patients who are alone. Having an advocate and someone who provides comfort can make all the difference in a person’s healing process. Even if your patient does not have that family support, do your best to fill this gap. These clinical experiences have been very eye-opening showing how different the United States healthcare system is from other countries.