NRS-429 Topic 4 DQ 1 What are the methods a nurse can use to gather cultural information from patients? How does cultural competence relate to better patient care? Discuss the ways in which a nurse demonstrates cultural competency in nursing practice.

NRS-429 Topic 4 DQ 1 What are the methods a nurse can use to gather cultural information from patients? How does cultural competence relate to better patient care? Discuss the ways in which a nurse demonstrates cultural competency in nursing practice.

Cultural information can be gathered through a good nursing assessment with motivational interviewing. The nurse can ask about the patient’s “preferences, values and beliefs, language, cultural traditions, barriers to care, family of origin, and socioeconomic conditions.” (Stubbe, D.E. 2020.)

It is very important for the Registered Nurse to understand the scope of Cultural sensitivity and to design a plan of care which keeps interventions in a realistic context for the patient. Family members may assist with providing a history and social context, in addition to translating for the patient.

Cultural competence leads to better patient care because the patients feel heard and understood when the nurse is culturally sensitive. The nurse is prepared with interventions which have respect for the patient’s right to cultural practices and beliefs.

One example of an intervention is to offer to call Clergy for a family who is experiencing a trauma and in need of support. Clergy needs to be notified in a timely manner and nurses can assist with making the connections and contacting the patient’s pastor or priest. (Reed, C. 2017.)

Diverse cultures have many different ways of preparing for the end of life, and nurses should be prepared with an open mind to respond to a patient or family member’s requests.

A nurse can demonstrate cultural competency by educating herself on the practices and major beliefs of different cultures and major world religions. The nurse can be prepared to answer questions and to consult Chaplaincy for spiritual support and guidance.

Interventions can be very respectful of the patient’s cultural needs and timelines, such as mourning and burial timelines. Above all, the nurse should demonstrate respect and sensitivity to all cultures and seek guidance when needed.

References:

1. Stubbe D. E. (2020). Practicing Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility in the Care of Diverse Patients. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 18(1), 49–51. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20190041
2. Reed, Cindy RN. Cultural Competence. AJN, American Journal of Nursing: July 2017 – Volume 117 – Issue 7 – p 13 doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000520925.34279.30 

One of the methods that can be used to gather cultural information from patients is simply asking the patient about his/her cultural beliefs that the patient would like to be practiced while hospitalized. The other method is inquiring from the family members and the patient’s behaviors using non-verbal signs.

When providing patient care, nurses must suspend personal biases and fully respect patients despite differences in culture. Cultural competency does not mean becoming an expert on every culture encountered, instead, nurses should recognize what they do and do not know to provide appropriate care (Falkner, 2018).

Cultural competence relates to better patient care in the sense that knowing the diverse feelings, values, and beliefs of patients leads to increased respect and mutual understanding from patients and increased participation from the local community, which consequently results in improved health outcomes.

Cultural competence has been defined in a variety of ways but usually is understood as one possessing the attitudes, knowledge, and skill necessary for providing quality care to a diverse population; in other words, the capacity to deliver culturally appropriate care.

To promote culturally competent health care, nursing leaders have developed a clearly articulated set of standards necessary for providing culturally appropriate nursing care. The twelve standards have been designed to serve as a guide for nurses by emphasizing culturally competent care as a priority for all patients (Hines, 2013).

There are various ways to demonstrate cultural competence in nursing practice, one of them being the way the nurse speaks to the patient. The nurse should speak to the patient in a way that is easy to follow and understand.

The nurse should not disregard or judge the belief or religious backgrounds of a patient. Instead, the nurse should encourage the patient to do what works best for he/she thinks works best.

Reference

Hines, D. (2013). Cultural competence: Assessment and education resources for Home Healthcare Now. LWW. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://journals.lww.com/homehealthcarenurseonline/Fulltext/2014/05001/Cultural_Competence__Assessment_and_Education.3.aspx

Falkner, A. (2018). Cultural Awareness. CCC web books by AWS & CDD. In Grand Canyon University. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/3

Cultural competence is the ability to understand and effectively interact with people from cultures different from our own. It means been able to negotiate across cultural differences to accomplish a practical goal.

The American Association for Health Education defined cultural competences as the ability of an individual to understand and respect values , attitudes , beliefs and mores that differs across cultures and to consider and respond appropriately to these differences in planning, implementing and evaluating health education and promotion programs and interventions.

Cultural competence is the ability to give the best medical care to patient while demonstrating cultural awareness for patients beliefs, race and values

The nurse utilizes nursing assessment tool and questionnaires to gather cultural information.. The cultural assessment includes, ethnic background, religious preference, family patterns, food preference, eating patterns and health practices.

Cultural competence fosters good interpersonal relationship between the nurse and patient which results in good communication and improved client outcome.

Cultural competence results in patients satisfaction

It helps to eliminate professional inequality and ensures professional equity

It promotes quality professional nursing care

It promotes patient centered care

The nurse demonstrates cultural competence by:

Acknowledging and respecting the cultural beliefs of the patient

Accommodating and educating the patient

Acknowledging and accepting patients culture

By not be judgmental or stereotyping

Reference

• Falkner, A. (2018). Cultural Awareness. Health Promotion: Health & Wellness Across the Continuum. (Chapter 3). Grand Canyon University. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/3

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021, July 7). Cultural respect. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/cultural-respect 

In order to gather cultural information, nurses must perform a cultural assessment. A cultural assessment examines the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of the client. This type of assessment is done by asking culturally appropriate questions (Falkner, 2018). Questions should include how the client feels about becoming ill or having a chronic disease, what they may fear about an illness or treatments, and how the client feels it affects or may influence their daily life (Falkner, 2018). Social disparities of health should also be considered during the cultural assessment.

Nurses need to be cognizant of the client’s income and health literacy. These two variables play a major role in the ability of clients to access and understand the health care system (Hurrell et al., 2021) Nurses need to be aware of family dynamics and make-up, as well as the client’s access to resources.

Resources may include community or federal programs or financial assistance, free or low-cost clinics in the client’s neighborhood, and information available on reliable websites or in print. The combination of all of this information will help the nurse provide individualized care for each client and their family.

Cultural competence relates to better client care by helping nurses become more aware of their clients. This helps the nurse provide holistic care of the client and their family. Holistic care includes the mind, body, and spirit. Nurses demonstrate cultural competency by respecting different cultures and their beliefs. Nurses also demonstrate cultural competency by adjusting the client’s plan of care in relation to those cultural differences. Nurses should be respectful of the client’s health care choices made based on their culture. Being a culturally competent nurse is a continuous process of self-awareness, education, and evaluation of both one’s own beliefs and biases, and the clients served (Falkner, 2018).

Falkner, A. (2018). Cultural awareness. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.), Health promotion: Health & wellness across the continuum. Grand Canyon University. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/#/chapter/3

Hurrell, S. R., Cliff, T. L., & Robertson, C. L. (2021). School nurse cultural competency development using the national CLAS standards: A quality improvement project. The Journal of School Nursing: The Official Publication of the National Association of School Nurses, 37(6), 532–541. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1059840519877436

Nurses use a cultural assessment tool or a questionnaire to collect cultural information from their patients (Dayer-Berenson, 2014). In addition, nurses can gather cultural information from their patients by asking questions such as who accompanied them to the healthcare center (Dyches et al., 2019). For example, if the patient was brought to the hospital with their friends or family, getting to know about their culture helps the nurse gain cultural insight into the patient. 

            Cultural competence in nursing describes the ability of the healthcare practitioner to provide the patient with optimal care by demonstrating awareness of culture for the patient through appreciating their beliefs, values, and entitlement (Dayer-Berenson, 2014). When a nurse has cultural competency, it entails having knowledge of the patient’s cultural diversity and treating the patient with a sound mind. In addition, cultural competency in healthcare helps the nurse improve patient communication and patient safety (Dayer-Berenson, 2014). This allows the nurse to collect accurate patient information and encourage active dialogue between them and their patients to build trust and avoid misunderstanding. 

            Nurses can demonstrate that they are culturally competent by possessing traits such as speaking in terms that are easy for the patient to follow through and understand. While delivering patient care, the emphasis should always be on meeting the patient’s needs by maintaining constant dialogue and communication (Lee et al., 2021). In addition, nurses develop cultural competency by depending on the patient’s family for interpreter services when they speak a different language than the patient and overcome the language barrier (Dyches et al., 2019). 

Moreover, a nurse will want to be aware of the patient’s culture before administering patient care to demonstrate cultural competency in nursing practice (Kaihlanen et al., 2019). According to Dayer-Berenson (2014), other qualities include active listening, avoiding making assumptions, educating the patient about all medical services they receive at the hospital, and incorporating culture-specific attitudes and values with health promotion tools. 

References

Dayer-Berenson, L. (2014). Cultural competencies for nurses: Impact on health and illness. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 

Dyches, C., Haynes-Ferere, A., & Haynes, T. (2019). Fostering cultural competence in nursing students through international service immersion experiences. Journal of Christian Nursing, 36(2), E29-E35. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNJ.0000000000000602

Kaihlanen, A. M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC nursing, 18(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x

Lee, S. E., Lee, M. H., Peters, A. B., & Gwon, S. H. (2020). Assessment of patient safety and cultural competencies among senior baccalaureate nursing students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4225. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124225