Cultural competency in nursing assignment
Cultural Competency in nursing assignment
Cultural Competency in nursing assignment
What is the importance of cultural competency in nursing practice? Support your response. Needs 300 words with references and cites.
How to Strengthen Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
Posted on February 13, 2018, by Aaron Stanley
How to Strengthen Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
Being a nurse, your main focus is to provide skilled patient care to the best of your ability. As the cultural landscape of our world continues to diversify, practicing cultural competence in nursing practice has become more relevant than ever before.
What is cultural competence in nursing?
Cultural competence is defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver healthcare services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients.
Why is cultural competency important in nursing?
Cultural competency in nursing practice is the cornerstone of providing superior care for people of all cultures. It is relevant in our everyday lives, but even more so for nurses who regularly care for patients in their most vulnerable state.
When a patient enters medical care, they may be highly stressed because of pain, nerves, fear, and worry. If they are accompanied by family members, the stress is intensified as these emotions are compounded.
Comforting patients during this time is crucial.
It’s easy to understand the importance of cultural competence in nursing as it allows you to comfort those with different beliefs and gives you an opportunity to provide care at the highest level.
BONUS: Download Our Free Cultural Competence Guide!
Respecting the different cultures of patients is an important and necessary skill. Above and beyond inclusion and respect, the effects of cultural competence in nursing practice extend to the actual medical care provided to patients.
Keep in mind: distinct cultural practices may influence the care plan and even how a patient perceives his or her illness. This is another reason why effective nursing and cultural competence go hand in hand.
Increasing Cultural Competence | How to Strengthen Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
Increasing Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
Through years of research and education, many medical scholars have shared knowledge and techniques that nurses can employ to practice cultural competence.
Cultural competencies for nurses these techniques are built upon three pillars:
knowledge
attitude
skills
1. Knowledge
Learning about the cultural base of those in your area is the first step to strengthening your cultural competence.
Depending on your location, the number of cultures you encounter will vary. Seek out information on topics such as shared traditions and values of each cultural group.
SEE ALSO: Where Can Nurses Work for the Best Overall Experience?
In larger cities, you may be able to accomplish this by:
researching your city website for demographic information
visiting the local library or university
doing specific research within cultural groups around town
Maintaining a level of awareness of the cultures around a service area enables a nurse to quickly assess the medical needs of a patient.
In the event a patient cannot confirm his or her culture, having a thorough understanding of genetic elements shared by people of the same ancestry ensures proper diagnosis and treatment.
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For example, culture is incredibly important in the mental health field. Nursing and culture cannot be separated. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “culture bears on whether people even seek help in the first place, what types of help they seek, what types of coping styles and social supports they have, and how much stigma they attach to mental illness.”
Part of enhancing your culturally competent care nursing knowledge includes the ability to conduct a cultural assessment. In the following section, you will learn the importance and techniques used to master this skill.
Cultural Assessment | How to Strengthen Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice
Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Competence In Nursing Practice: Cultural Assessment
Conducting a Cultural Assessment is an essential step in delivering patient-centered care. Madeleine Leininger defines cultural assessment as a “systematic appraisal or examination of individuals, groups, and communities as to their cultural beliefs, values, and practices to determine explicit needs and intervention practices within the context of the people being served”.
The goal of a cultural assessment is for a nurse to formulate an acceptable treatment plan for each patient based on the information provided by that patient regarding their beliefs.
Berlin and Fowkes designed the mnemonic, LEARN, in conducting a cultural assessment. This mnemonic stands for 5 steps outlined below:
Listen
Listen to the patient’s perception of the presenting problem.
Explain
Explain your perception of the patient’s problem. Is it physiological, psychological, spiritual, and/or cultural? It can and often will be more than one.
Acknowledge
Acknowledge the similarities and differences between the patient’s perception and your perceptions. In certain cases, it may be easier to focus on the similarities while working towards bridging the gap between the differences.
Recommend
Recommendations are built upon the knowledge gained from the first three steps. It is inevitable that culture will affect the recommendations, and the patient must be involved in this process.
Negotiate
In some instances, the patient may require negotiating a treatment plan. It is imperative that nurses are sensitive to the cultural practices of each patient while still providing the best care possible.
Cultural competency in nursing is an ongoing practice. If working in an unfamiliar community, consider volunteering some free time as a community health worker to learn more about the community in the field. Having the ability to execute an analysis ensures you can handle each unique situation as it arises.
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