Case Study 4

The following case study illustrates how a nurse applied culturally appropriate techniques to resolve a cultural conflict with the mother of a child who was admitted to the Emergency Department with high fever and practicing Ayurvedic treatment. The case study provides a question for viewers to consider and reflect.

Case Study 4: Humoral/Body Balance (Ayurveda)

Shanti presents at the Emergency Department with her daughter Saroj (age 18 months). She reports that her daughter has had a fever, runny nose, and a cough for the last 2 days. Saroj has a temp of 39.5^oC and she is dehydrated because she is not drinking much fluid. It’s a hot day but she is dressed in a jumper, hat, leggings and socks and wrapped in a blanket. The doctor on duty explains that they need to get Saroj’s temperature down quickly.

The doctor unwraps the child, gives her an ice-block and asks the nurse to give her antibiotics and an IV drip. The family follows Ayurvedic traditional medicine principles and in this practice to maintain body balance cold foods are not consumed during a cold/fever. Herbal remedies are preferred for treating coughs and colds and for restoring health.

The family objects to the ice-block as they think that this will make her cold and the fever worse. The emergency nurse explains that cold drinks will help Saroj because they will lower her temperature. The family strongly objects to this recommendation.

The nurse respectfully acknowledges Shanti’s concerns and enquires about Shanti’s traditional practices and the reasons for her objections.

The nurse realises that Shanti’s objections are because of her strong traditional beliefs. The nurse acknowledges Shanti’s beliefs and practices, and emphasizes their common goal which is to reduce Saroj’s fever. She then explains the immediate need to reduce Saroj’s temperature to avoid the child’s temperature continuing to spike which may lead to serious consequences.

The nurse finally manages to get Shanti to agree with the recommended approach and asks her to monitor Saroj to make sure that her temperature is back to normal. The nurse also suggests to Shanti, that once Saroj recovers, she can provide the necessary traditional Ayurvedic herbal remedy to restore her health.

Shanti says “thank you I will stay with Saroj and monitor her progress. I agree that it is most important to manage Saroj’s temperature and to get her well first.”