Book Review
Cultural Safety in Aotearoa New Zealand
Dianne Wepa (ed)
ISBN: 1-877258-75-X 2005 240 pages Pearson / Prentice Hall
Don Gorman
Associate Professor, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba QLD
This book brings together the expertise of a number of authors in the areas of education, research and clinical practice, related to the important field of cultural safety in New Zealand, defined by the Nursing Council of New Zealand as '...the outcome of nursing and midwifery education that enables safe service to be defined by those who receive the service'. In the preface Marion Clark CEO of the nursing Council of New Zealand, most appropriately acknowledges the contribution made by Irihapeti Ramsden to cultural safety in nursing in New Zealand while giving a brief history of its evolution and incorporation by the nursing Council.
The chapters are logically divided into the three major parts of 'Setting the Scene', 'Foundations of Cultural Safety', and 'Fields of Practice'. The chapters in Part one discuss what cultural safety means, those in part two look in more detail at what constitutes cultural safety and its importance, and those in part three look at cultural safety in the specific clinical practice areas of child youth and family; mental health; midwifery; refugees and migrants; aged care; sex, gender and sexual orientation; Maori health and spirituality.
Part one is very much about the New Zealand historical context. While part two and three also focus on the New Zealand context it is possible to see some similarities to Australia and other multicultural countries, particularly those which have indigenous peoples. This is especially true of chapter 15 'Spirituality and Cultural Safety'.
The chapters are structured with learning objectives, key terms and concepts, items for reflection, practice examples and exercises making the book very useful for students.
As the editor states, what this book does not do is provide a 'how to' instructional volume on ways to work with all cultural groups. What it does do is describe the experiences of the chapter authors and give serious food for thought to all those who may wish to work clinically with people from a different culture or who educate others to do so.
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