Lesson 3.4 — Culture, Beliefs and Non-Judgement
RTO passing descriptors include recognising personal and cultural differences, respecting values and beliefs, acting non-judgementally and respecting autonomy. Curiosity is useful; stereotyping is not.
Case 10 — Vaccine hesitancy
A parent is hesitant about vaccination because of strongly held concerns in their community.
“People I trust have told me it can cause long-term problems.”
“That’s misinformation. You shouldn’t believe things online.”
“It sounds like you’ve heard concerns from people you trust. Would you mind telling me which risks you’re most worried about?”
You make space for the belief, then can provide evidence relevant to the actual concern without shaming the patient.
Ask what this belief means to this person. Do not treat culture, religion, family or community as a shortcut to predicting what they think.