-Discuss a specific instance of cultural insensitivity or conflict by caregivers you have witnessed. Protect the anonymity of the caregiver and patient. 1) Describe and analyze the discriminatory treatment and offer suggestions that you could do to promote best practices. 2) How can you apply Leininger’s theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality for culture-specific and congruent care in your work setting? Give specific examples.
Sample Answer
Question 1
Cultural competent care
Culturally competent care is characterized as respecting patient population variety and cultural characteristics that can affect health and health care, such as language, communication styles, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Cultural competence is often regarded as a key pillar in eliminating inequities through culturally sensitive and unbiased quality care. Cultural competency is defined as physicians’ and organizations’ ability to effectively deliver health care services that satisfy patients’ social, cultural, and linguistic needs. A culturally competent health care system can aid in the improvement of health outcomes and the quality of care, as well as the eradication of racial and ethnic health disparities.
Question 2
How the nurse can be successful in providing culturally competent care
There are numerous things nurses can do to give culturally sensitive care to a nation that is becoming more diverse:
Awareness
Many healthcare facilities and their employees, particularly those in rural areas, may be unaware that the medical sector is yearning for culturally sensitive healthcare. Let others know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it as you work to become a culturally aware nurse. Encourage your coworkers to give more culturally appropriate care. Approach sharing awareness with openness and positivity, rather than with skepticism.
Don’t Make Assumptions
It is critical for nurses to avoid making assumptions about cultures with which they are unfamiliar. This can lead to a breakdown in trust and rapport between the nurse and their patient, as well as a reduction in treatment acceptance. Simply inquire if you’re unsure about something. Most people from other cultures will gladly educate a healthcare provider who is eager to listen and comprehend their cultural peculiarities. When asking inquiries, make sure your body language conveys openness and a desire to actually hear the patient rather than listening to reply.
Discover Other Cultures
Part of your job as a nurse is to learn everything you can about your patients. This is frequently simplified to their medical history, a list of drugs, and their present symptoms. Consider the various cultures you’ve experienced in your healthcare career, as well as the cultures in your community. Make an effort to immerse yourself in such cultures in order to learn about them. Visit the place where that culture predominates and read about it in respected books and online. Question any assumptions you have about cultures other than your own, and make an attempt to prove or disprove the assumption so that it becomes knowledge.
Build Trust and Relationships
Building trust with patients, regardless of ethnic or racial origin, is critical for nurses. However, treating culturally diverse patients necessitates establishing a higher level of trust, which can be made more difficult when there is a language barrier. Request a translator, but resist the urge to glance at the interpreter while speaking. Look at the patient and speak to them as if there was no language barrier. The information will be relayed to the patient by the translator, and their reaction will be relayed back to you. Body language and eye contact become much more crucial, so use open and kind body language and make eye contact with the patient or their family members when speaking to them.
The importance of cultural competence care
Being aware of the culture basis of persons in your service area, such as shared customs and values, is what knowledge entails. Being aware of your patients’ ethnicity is also crucial, as are common genetic components shared by persons of the same origin. In reality, ethnopharmacology is a field of study that investigates how different drugs affect people from diverse ethnic groups. 2 In addition, studies are being performed to determine how cultural attitudes influence medicine selection and use.
Following that, it is critical to address attitudes in order to become a culturally competent caregiver. Understanding how culture influences individual behavior and thought allows you to provide the best treatment for your patients. Understanding the laws of interactions within a certain cultural group, such as communication patterns and conventions, family unit division of duties, and spirituality, will help you better comprehend your patients’ perspectives. Furthermore, becoming conscious of your own attitudes and stereotypical inclinations toward various cultural groups enables you to express genuine care and concern.
