Using the resiliency model to deliver culturally sensitive care to Chinese families

In 1998, 4% of U.S. children were Asian/Pacific Islander; of these, 23% were Chinese. The incidence of infants with congenital heart defects (CHD) in Chinese children approximates that of Caucasian children in the United States. Parents of children with CHD are faced with caring for the children at home after surgery. Parents' roles and responsibilities expand significantly as their children return home with complex care needs. In pediatric nursing, we not only take care of the individual child but also the family as a whole. The family is the primary institution in society that preserves and transmits culture. Understanding Chinese culture and its association with health care practice helps nurses to establish culturally sensitive nursing interventions; develop appropriate discharge plans; decrease family stress; reduce future medical hospitalization costs; increase positive coping, adaptation, and family function; and improve health outcomes of the child and the family. The Resiliency Model was used to examine its applicability in caring for Chinese families in this paper.