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A cross‐cultural experience at midnight
Author(s) -
Niimura Junko
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of nursing practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1440-172X
pISSN - 1322-7114
DOI - 10.1111/ijn.12045
Subject(s) - midnight , china , medicine , pediatrics , nursing , psychology , family medicine , history , physics , archaeology , astronomy
This essay is a story about a cultural interaction between a J apanese mother and a C hinese young mother whose baby was premature. When I was staying in a hospital in J apan to deliver my second son, I shared a room with this mother. She delivered her baby very early—at 25 weeks of pregnancy. Her baby received extensive medical treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, this C hinese young mother appeared bewildered about the communication from the J apanese hospital staff because J apanese hospital's communication about the medical care of premature infants was very different from C hina. One day at midnight, she spoke with me about having deep uneasiness about the situation and having many unanswered questions. After this cultural experience, I began to think more deeply about cultural differences in terms of health and illness and the influence of universal health insurance on the lives of the families of premature infants. I also recognized that the value of life is not calculated in the same fashion globally.