Is there a Pearson's Nursing textbook that contains cultural descriptions of reaction to pain?

Question

This looks authentic, but I wonder whether it's just an elaborate hoax:

Source: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/racist-nursing-textbook/

Jews may be vocal and demanding of assistance

...

Arabs/Muslims may not request pain medicine but instead thank Allah for pain if it is the result of a healing medical procedure

...

Filipino clients may not take pain medication because they view pain as being the will of God

...

Indians who follow Hindu practices believe that pain must be endured in preparation for a better life in the next cycle

Is this really part of the book, or is it a hoax?

Downvoted because the title is wrong. All the quoted examples are based on religious beliefs, and so they are not racial, they are cultural. — jamesqf, Oct 21 '17 at 04:31
@Oddthinking: I didn't ask the question, so it would be very wrong of me to change it. — jamesqf, Oct 21 '17 at 18:16
@jamesqf: Then I am being very wrong several times per day! The policy is "Be Bold" (well, it used to be, I can't find that language in the [help](https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/help/editing) any more, but it certainly encourages edits to improve posts. — Oddthinking, Oct 22 '17 at 09:57
@jamesqf: "[If you are not comfortable with the idea of your contributions being collaboratively edited by other trusted users, this may not be the site for you.](https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/help/editing)" I hope you'll change your mind and stay! — Oddthinking, Oct 23 '17 at 11:09
@jamesqf While the descriptions are religious/spiritual, the categories are all races (with the minor exception of a "/Muslim" on the Arab category). The dissonance is clearly part of what motivated the question. So it is certainly not wrong to state the question in terms of racial issues. — jpmc26, Oct 23 '17 at 15:31
@jpmc26: No, the categories quoted in the answer are not races, with the possible exception of Jews. (I wouldn't consider ethnic Jewishness to be racial, but some disagree.) "Arab" is a culture, not a race. "Filipino" is a nationality. "Indian" is not a race (or maybe several races, depending on your definition), it's a country. The only problem there is that not all Indians are Hindu, and not all Hindus are Indian. — jamesqf, Oct 24 '17 at 06:09
@jamesqf Are you seriously suggesting that "Blacks" refers to something other than a race? Sure, we can debate the technicalities of whether these words *should* be used for races, but the fact is they *are* commonly used to refer to race. And that's certainly the sense in which they're used here. — jpmc26, Oct 24 '17 at 06:30
@jpmc26: No, I'm seriously suggesting that the word "blacks" does not appear in the excerpt quoted in the question. — jamesqf, Oct 25 '17 at 17:30
@jamesqf Check the image. Bottom left corner of the green box. Middle of the page. It's a section header. And also in the bullet point just below the header. Edit something from that section into the question if you believe it's vital for distinguishing. — jpmc26, Oct 25 '17 at 17:33
@jpmc26: You can actually read the text in that image? I can't. — jamesqf, Oct 26 '17 at 17:24
@jamesqf It's a lot bigger if you open the image by itself in a new tab. Right click --> Open in New Tab (or your browser's equivalent). Middle click may also work depending on browser and configuration. — jpmc26, Oct 26 '17 at 19:51
@jpmc26: I think you are asking rather a bit too much detective work for a casual comment. I'm a text person: I seldom look closely at images (and still less frequently at videos) unless the text gives a good reason. Otherwise, to me it's just decoration. In any case, what I said re the disconnect between the title and quoted examples is still perfectly true :-) — jamesqf, Oct 28 '17 at 03:07
@jamesqf Hence why I said you should edit the question if you think there's a problem. Such a request is not unreasonable. It's *expected* as a member of Stack Exchange. I don't think there was or is any problem, other than your incorrect edit. Besides, it discusses Blacks *in the linked article*, **in text**. So this is really just a case of you didn't bother to check your assumptions. — jpmc26, Oct 28 '17 at 05:46

DavePhD · Answer 1 · 2017-10-21T08:22:20.777

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It's not a hoax, it is a real copy of Nursing: A Concept-Based Approach to Learning, Volume I (2nd Edition).

See Education Company Under Fire For 'Racist' Nursing Textbook

The company acknowledged that it is real, saying:

While differences in cultural attitudes towards pain is an important topic in medical programs, the table from this Nursing text did not present the information in an appropriate manner... We apologize for the offense this has caused, and we have removed the material in question from current electronic versions and future editions of this text. We always welcome feedback, and we appreciate the concern shown by the students who raised this issue

See numerous other acknowledgements and apologies from Pearson's official twitter account

edited Oct 21 '17 at 08:22

answered Oct 20 '17 at 15:23

DavePhD

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I would not consider the NY Post as an infallible source of truth. While not strictly a tabloid, they straddle the line very closely. – DenisS Oct 20 '17 at 17:44
@DenisStalling the real source is Bustle, the NYP is just quoting the email from the company rep to Bustle https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bustle.com/p/a-medical-textbook-published-harmful-stereotypes-about-minorities-response-to-pain-it-shows-why-medical-bias-against-people-of-color-is-still-so-prevalent-2945945/amp – DavePhD Oct 20 '17 at 18:08
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@DenisStallings: If the NY Post is not a sufficiently reliable source, how about the [Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2017/10/20/publisher-apologizes-after-outcry-over-offensive-nursing-textbook/k6COKWl5ftuHsjooIxUK4K/story.html) or the [BBC?](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2017/10/20/publisher-apologizes-after-outcry-over-offensive-nursing-textbook/k6COKWl5ftuHsjooIxUK4K/story.html) Also, here's a [video apology from a Pearson executive.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnXjq6XdLw8) – Michael Seifert Oct 20 '17 at 19:37
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@Michael maybe put the sources into the answer? – Andrew Grimm Oct 21 '17 at 03:39
@AndrewGrimm I added a link to Pearson's twitter account which has the apology video and other apologies. – DavePhD Oct 21 '17 at 08:23
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@MichaelSeifert Your BBC link goes to the same place as the Boston Globe link, not to a BBC article. – numbermaniac Oct 21 '17 at 12:21
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@numbermaniac: Sorry, that was some sloppy cut-and-paste on my part. [Here's the BBC article.](http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41692593) – Michael Seifert Oct 21 '17 at 12:55
@MichaelSeifert those links are definitely sufficient. I have issues with the Post as a NY resident as their newspaper is often highly sensationalized, and I wouldn't put it past them to put up a story without fact checking. Upvoted the answer, this is definitely confirmed. – DenisS Oct 23 '17 at 13:47
Any idea what the copyright date on that edition is? The layout looks quite modern. – Kip Oct 27 '17 at 19:22
@Kip the New York Post article says 2014. – DavePhD Oct 27 '17 at 19:28
"Jews may be vocal and demanding of assistance", ha ha ha, nurshing is antisemitc now. And some jews did **demand** an apology from the company. – Sakib Arifin Oct 31 '17 at 11:35

Is there a Pearson's Nursing textbook that contains cultural descriptions of reaction to pain?

1 Answers1