4 Practical Ways to Provide Culturally Competent Care for Asian Patients in the OR
By: AORN Staff
Published: 3/4/2025
Share:
A lack of culturally competent care can significantly impact patient outcomes and the surgical experience.
For Asian patients—who make up a growing portion of the U.S. population and bring diverse languages and cultural traditions—barriers in surgical care can lead to adverse events. Misdiagnoses, inadequate informed consent, and ineffective pain management are among the challenges that may arise.
As a first generation Taiwanese American, former cancer patient, and experienced healthcare provider and educator, H. Charlie Lin, MSN, APRN, NP-C, CRNFA, CNOR-PEDS, CNAMB, FCN, FAORN, is passionate about helping patients, friends, and family navigate the complexities of the U.S. healthcare system.
His firsthand experiences have driven him to advocate for culturally competent care, sharing his insights with physician assistant students at Stanford School of Medicine and RN first assistant students at Delaware County Community College in Pennsylvania.
Lin says that providing culturally competent care for Asian patients can be complex, particularly when considering the differences between Eastern and Western medicine. He explains that Western medicine tends to focus on diagnosing and treating symptoms with medications and surgery in absolute terms. In contrast, Eastern medicine takes a more holistic approach, considering the interplay of physical, mental, and spiritual health while tailoring care to the patient’s needs.
“Asian patients are also less likely to express feelings or emotions about anxiety, depression, pain, or stress before or after surgery,” he said.
Recognizing these risks and unique cultural norms, Lin has shaped a number of culturally competent practices that can improve surgical care for Asian patients. Here are four:
- Offer Qualified Language Assistance Services
This improves the quality of care and helps decrease misunderstandings to ultimately improve clinical outcomes. When possible, avoid relying on family members for interpretation, as they may not be familiar with medical terminology. - Ask About Personal Preferences in Engaging Family Members
Doing this can help identify the patient’s cultural expectations when proceeding with treatment decisions. It also helps respect the patient’s autonomy and wishes for confidentiality when determining how involved they would like their family to be in specific care decisions. - Recognize Culturally Sensitive Preferences
Subtle cues can provide insight into a patient’s comfort level. For example, avoiding eye contact may be a sign of respect rather than disengagement, while direct eye contact may be considered inappropriate in some cultures. Additionally, Asian patients may prefer a provider of the same gender for sensitive exams or discussions but may not express this need unless asked. - Plan Ahead for a Cultural Stigma Regarding Anxiety and Pain
Cultural beliefs can shape how Asian patients perceive and respond to pain, and they may view it as a natural imbalance to be endured rather than actively treated. So, nurses should make sure to provide clear expectations for postoperative pain and what will be needed after surgery to better manage it. This may require the nurse to identify pain control goals preoperatively and rely more on non-verbal signs of pain or discomfort postoperatively.
Join Us in Boston
Lin will be sharing more strategies for providing culturally competent care in his session “We Are Not the Same: Beyond Culturally Competent Care of the Asian Patient” at AORN Global Surgical Conference and Expo in Boston, MA, April 5–8.
