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Cultural competence in nursing
Essay cultural competence in nursing
Essay cultural competence in nursing
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To be able to deliver adequate nursing care to all, nurses must understand and establish culture respect and awareness. Nurses and all health care professional must demonstrate cultural competency, cultural sensitivity. Nurses must understand that different cultures have different customs and beliefs and nurses must know how to deliver correct nursing care to these different individuals. Culture refers to the collective deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs values, attitude, meanings, hierarchies, religion, roles relations, and possessions attained by a small or large group of people in the course of generations through individuals and groups. I choose the Hispanic cultural group primarily because, I currently work in the Desert Valley …show more content…
A research performed by Loma Linda, California determined that Hispanic Americans hold several expectations of their healthcare providers and this include their nurses as well (Manfred, Mcfadden & Belliard, 2006). One of the major difference between the Hispanic outlooks of health is, the holistic approach which cover the spiritual, physical, moral and emotional aspects inside one’s life. Health and illness is significantly subjective by one’s faith in God and not just their physical health behaviors. Hispanic believe that a common cold, with a consistent cough, fevers and rashes is thought to be caused by walking bare feet in cold wet weather. Another belief is that conjunctivitis is processed through the wind flow of air than the disease agents itself. Most nurses are not familiar with the treatment Hispanics use to treat such disease. Some of their practices such as salt enemas, lemon juice or cigarette smoke on the eyes, urine on the face, or placing bleach in wounds are all damaging to a patient’s health. However, these treatments may be encouraged in the Hispanics traditional illness and treatment. It is suggested that a nurse treating a patient who practices traditional medicine remains culturally sensitive while explaining the harm of such remedies. Maybe, the greatest significant part permitting trust between the nurse and the patient is, upholding respect …show more content…
By doing this, it promotes the cultural diversity among the nurses in a healthcare setting. Obstacles to care, such as miscommunication, mistrust, and misunderstanding can be easily avoided. For example, if a nurse is unable to communicate effectively with a Hispanic patient, it is vital that an interpreter be provided to make sure the best use of resource is available. As a nurse who speaks primarily English, I make sure that the resource is available for the patient to get a clear understanding before discharge. A couple of resources that I found helpful are, printing out discharge instructions in Spanish so that the patient can get a clear understanding of what care needs to continue, when the next appointment needs to be followed up, and what medication to continue or discontinue after
The application of cultural competence in nursing practice was first described by Madeline Leninger (1970) as she coined the term ‘cultural sensitivity’ to describe the process of being attentive to the values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of patients. “Culture has been defined as socially transmitted patterns of human behaviour which include communication styles, actions, ways of thinking, values, beliefs and institutions of ethnic, racial, religious or social groups” (). The application of culturally competent care in nursing is important because it may impact quality of patient care and the development
Just Culture has a true impact on the delivery of care in the nursing profession.
In order for nurses to provide culturally competent care, they must not only respect but also understand the beliefs, attitudes and cultural lifestyles of their patients. Nurses must seek cultural awareness, knowledge and understanding of their patient's cultures, which can be achieved through effective communication with their patients. A nurse should have a basic understanding about several different cultures in order to provide high quality care. However, the best way to learn about a patient's culture is to ask the patient, which shows a patient that you respect them.
The cultural diversity of patients is a very important issue affecting the nursing profession due to the fact that there is a current lack of diversity in the nursing workplace. It is important to remember that patients are not as homogenous as they used to be in the past, as the United States has incorporated diverse immigrant and cultural groups and continues to attract people from around the globe.
Some might say multicultural nursing is difficult. Becoming culturally competent can make caring for people in different cultures easier. Nurses must develop skills to break the barriers that might interfere with the care of a patient in a different culture. In this paper, I will analyzed and described at least five points on how the concepts learned may be used to influence nursing care, analyzed and summarize how has this research changed my cultural competency, and evaluated and describe how positively affect nursing care.
The perception of illness dictates the way in which medical treatment, or lack thereof, is approached. Modern medicine has introduced a myriad of scientific technologies intended to advance our understanding and treatment of the human body. Although many of these breakthroughs have resulted in life saving forms of care, there is still a substantial disconnect that exists between science and culture within the medical realm. Physicians have an unprecedented number of tools at their disposal, none of which help in minimizing cultural barriers. Value systems, beliefs, religion, and spirituality are woven into the fabric of humanity. These factors can have just as significant of an impact on healthcare as blood pressure,
The barriers have been identified as the lack of knowledge, time management, money, and language barriers (Mixer 2010). Hart & Moreno (2013) discuss in order for nurses to provide culturally competent care, the nurse must focus on the family’s culture differences, and incorporate their beliefs into their plan of care. The current literature indicates nurses and staff are not adequately taught to deliver culturally competent care. When nurses were asked what barriers they face, they spoke about the lack of resources to learn and provide culturally competent care, money for training, and lack of training (Hart & Moreno, 2013). Hart & Moreno (2013) also discussed the time it takes, for the nurses to educate themselves about the different cultures, plus the time to offer such care.
Dayer-Berenson, L. (2013). Cultural competencies for nurses (2nd ed.). [Proquest Ebook Central]. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Patient of various cultures have different rituals, beliefs and customs once a patient has passed. It is within the nurse’s best practice to honor and respect the family’s cultures and beliefs to help cope. Various cultures perceive death differently. For example in the Muslim community rituals are performed including bathing, shrouding the body, which is then followed by the prayer. Another example of cultural sensitivity is language. There are two types of language when communicating with patients; verbal and non-verbal. Culturally effective communication is a key factor to the nurse-patient relationship. For instance, English may be a patient’s second language; this may interfere with communication and adds more stress to the situation for the patient. Healthcare providers can provide patients with an interpreter or language line to ensure there is a clear understand of the patient 's treatment plan. This can improve patient outcomes and avoid disparities. The third example of how nurses can provide culturally sensitive care is by becoming aware of cultural sensitive diets. Many ethnic cultures have strict diet guidelines. A nurse can simply consult nutrition and help accommodate a modified diet. This will show respect, in turn improving the comfort level, trust, and respect between the nurse and patient. For example, the Islamic community does not eat pork, animals with a cloven hoof, or alcohol. These are just a few examples of how healthcare providers can provide culturally sensitive care and improve continuity, satisfaction and respect in
It is vital that bias, stereotyping, and prejudices become a non factor in the care of clients. Health care providers must have respect, tolerance, and the ability to adapt to a variety of cultural behaviors. According to Blais and Hayes (2011), “Nurses must be aware of their own cultural beliefs, because these may affect the care they give. When assessing a client, a nurse considers the client’s cultural values, beliefs, and practices related to health and health care” (p.403). It is essential that health care professionals provide the best care for patients regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or culture. In order to achieve this goal, it is imperative that continuing education in culture and diversity remain at the forefront of healthcare environments and
233). Other concepts are health and illness are perceived differently by all based on individual perceptions, social class, and coping mechanisms; different approaches to diagnosis, healing, and care, including folk, and western medical interventions may be required for treatment of illness; and for a nurse to effectively deliver care for a patient of a different background other than their own, effective intercultural communication must take place (Transcultural Nursing, n.d.). In order for a nurse to provide sensitive culture care he/she must understand the meanings of these concepts. Cultural competence is defined as a combination of practice viewpoints, congruent behaviors, and guidelines that allows nurses to provide great care in cross cultural situations (Leininger & McFarland, 2002, p.78). Not only do nurses need to be aware of his/her own beliefs but be willing to learn and value someone else’s belief. These concepts are strengths of this theory because not being aware of cultural health differences can be a major block to helping a patient. With education and trying to find a medium may be the perfect fit for delivering the best
Understanding and implementing culturally competent and culturally congruent care are the key factors for effective and excellent nursing care (Srivastava, 2007). However, health care provider’s roles and responsibilities in meeting health care needs of the clients in consideration to cultural perspective and diversity are getting more challenging and complicated due to increased number of people from a group of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society, which, in turn requires health care providers to acknowledge and understand variations of cultural healthcare beliefs, values and practices.
Nurses need to be skilled with the insight and knowledge to carry out culturally appropriate care. The application of cultural sensitivity starts with an awareness of one's own culture first and then they can look at the culture of other people. Nurses, based on their ability, should be self reflective about
The healthcare setting tends to be very diverse. It is important for a nurse to be culturally aware when caring for patients. The purpose of this paper, is to explore the Hispanic culture in terms of healthcare. The topic’s subject was chosen because the Hispanic population has been rapidly growing in the United States for the last few decades (Eggenberger, Grassley, & Restepo, 2006). I will discuss the Hispanic culture’s definition of health, illness, specific health related practices, and the impact on nursing care.
Therefore, nurses must be knowledgeable about other cultural diversities. All patients must be cared for and treated with dignity, respect, and compassion regardless of their age, gender, origin, religion, sexual orientation, and background. Nurses must be culturally sensitive and must have the ability to provide nursing care to patients without judging them. Also, they must respect and support patient values and beliefs. In addition, nurses must not refuse to provide care to the patient because of their personal values and beliefs (Westrisk,