Barbara is an Australian South Sea Islander who went to hospital to visit her injured niece.
The story shows how an understanding of cultural sensitivities can lead to better delivery of health care.
Again, this story is based on the actions of a particular family in a specific situation. It does not demonstrate the cultural patterns of all Australian South Sea Islanders.
My young niece had hurt her back at work. She had to go to hospital for a few days. We went up to see her – just the close family.
And there she was lying in bed, looking worn out. We hated seeing her like that. We spent the next few hours trying to cheer each other up, laughing, singing, just being silly – trying to raise each other's spirits.
We weren't being really noisy, but there were a fair few of us. We were surrounding the bed, and overflowing out onto the balcony. It's lucky my niece was in a room by herself.
Then a nurse walked into the room. She just gave us an ugly look, and said, 'I'm sorry; some of you will have to leave. Immediate family only.'
And we all looked at each other out of the corners of our eyes, and we knew what we were all thinking: we are the immediate family!
We said absolutely nothing to her. Just shut up, silent. Not a word.
But after she had left, we started talking. We tried to work out what to do.
Barbara has been brought up in a culture influenced by the Australian South Sea Islander beliefs and traditions.
The nurse has been brought up in a culture influenced by Western beliefs and traditions.
How do their two cultures differ?
Select the buttons below to find out more about some underlying cultural beliefs and traditions.
Outcomes identifies different options available to Barbara and her family.
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