Interview a client who is a member of a different ethnic/racial group than your own and may or may not be a client in the health care system.

Consider the following areas and frame questions to ascertain the following information:

1. Typical family household, roles played by family members and kinship groups, and patterns of residence
2. Events, rituals, and ceremonies considered important within the life cycle, such as birth, baptism, puberty, marriage, and death.
3. The health beliefs and values of the family members and the social meaning attached to wellness and illness:

• Beliefs concerning body organs and /or systems and how they function
• Particular methods used to help maintain health, such as hygienic and self care partakes
• Attitudes toward immunizations, screening tests, and other preventive health measures
• Beliefs and practices surrounding conception, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and rearing of children.
• Attitudes toward mental illness, deformities, and death and dying. 

1. Use the following components of Kleinman’s Exploratory Model to ascertain the client’s perception and his/her most serious health problem (past or present).

• What do you think caused your problem?
• Why do you think it started when it did?
• What do you think your sickness does/did to you?
• How does it work?
• How severe /was your sickness?
• Will/did it have a short or long course?
• What kind of treatment do/did you think you should receive?
• What do/did you fear the most about your sickness and its treatment?

1. The person(s) in the family responsible for various health related decisions, such as what to do when will, where to go, who to see, and what advice to follow.
2. Health topics that may be sensitive or taboo to the client.
3. Possible conflicts between family health beliefs and practices and the teachings and practices of an established health program.
4. Beliefs, rules, and preferences or prejudices concerning food, such as those believed to cause or cure illness.
5. Culturally appropriate ways to enter and leave situations, including greetings, farewells, and convenient hours to make a home visit.
6. Food, dress, or additional cultural valuables which either enhance or inhibit good health practices.
7. Select a health paradigm that best fits your clients worldview of disease/illness causation. (Religious, holistic or scientific).   

Very good article:

Narayan, Mary C. (1997). Cultural assessment in home health care. Home Healthcare Nurse, 15(10),

663-670.