Cultural Competence in the Healthcare Setting Carmen Henderson Professional Clinical Nursing 4292 March 11, 2017

What is Culturally Competent Care? You may ask yourself what is cultural competence and how does that affect me in the facility in which I work? Cultural competence in the healthcare setting can be defined as “the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring health care delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural, and linguistic needs” ( Equity of Care, 2013). Engaging and educating patients about their health status is important but can be difficult when health literacy gaps, language barriers and different communication styles are used.

What is Culturally Competent Care? It is not only important that we understand the diverse patients, and communities that we serve, but also how becoming culturally competent benefits the facility. Cultural competence in the facility will also assist with racial and ethnic disparities in care. Cultural competence can produce several benefits for the organization, healthcare team, patient and community. Examples of benefits includes but not limited to: Increases respect between patient and organization. Increases trust between patient/family and health care team. Assists patients and families with care and promotes health. Promotes community participation in healthcare.

What is Culturally Competent Care? Reduces care disparities in the patient population. Improves data collection from patient. Decreases barriers that slow progression of care.

Importance of Culturally Competent Care Cultural competence is an important element in a design centralized on improving the quality of health care and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities. There is a great need for nurses to be competent and to have effective communication with diverse populations in the community. “Nurses should be aware that a person’s cultural beliefs and social determinants influence how that person communicates and understands information once she or he is a patient. Effective health care considers and adapts to the perspectives and circumstances of culturally diverse populations” (Beard, Gwanmesia, & Miranda- Diaz, 2015).

Importance of Culturally Competent Care Cultural beliefs and socioeconomic circumstances influence health practices and nurses should be aware and ready to discuss beliefs and values of the patient to provide culturally competent care. Through improved communication skills and care specific to ones’ ethnic needs, we can improve the outcomes of patients. These patients will likely be more compliant with the plan of care throughout their hospital stay and along with family support, continue the plan and education once home.

Delivering Culturally Competent Care First and foremost, continual staff training and education is critical to obtaining culturally competent nurses. Cultural assessments should be provided to understand the nurses’ level of competence in this area. Use of online educational tools and case study reviews are important to foster cultural education in nurses. Scheduling periodic education at staff meetings and nurse “huddle” time, are used as a way to continue training (Equity of Care, 2013). There are many ways that nurses can deliver culturally competent care, but it can sometimes be a balancing act when needing to provide the appropriate care and what is culturally desired. Listed here are a few ways to deliver care to a culturally diverse patient. We should never make assumptions. People from different countries may be faced with different medical issues than the ones here in the U.S. We cannot say that they are ignorant or aren’t compliant.

Delivering Culturally Competent Care Explain every detail. Medical words and meanings can be very difficult for people who do not speak English as their primary language. Make sure that the patient is understanding the language that is being spoken. Use an interpreter of a family member whose primary language is English. Withhold judgements. The family roles can differ significantly in each culture. Many cultures place emphasis on extended family. They show their love through visitation and assisting the patient with the physical recovery. Daily needs such as bathing and assistance with walking are examples of ways the extended family may show support. The patient may be able to accomplish these physical tasks on their own, but culturally this is what is expected from the family.

Delivering Culturally Competent Care Educate and accommodate. Regardless of the patients cultural background, nurses should teach patients about their illness and educate them about ways to recover that will incorporate some of their cultural beliefs and differences. Making small accommodations can make a big impact on a patient’s physical and emotional well-being. Ask about alternative approaches to healing. Many people of different cultures use different herbal remedies and traditional healers for care. Many of these herbs can interact poorly with Western Medicine, so it is important for the nurse to ask about these alternative treatments.

Hispanic Culture in Healthcare Within the community in which I work, Hispanic patients are a large diverse population. It is important to know about their cultures and expectations pertaining to healthcare. The relationship between the patient and healthcare providers along with proper communication and trust is key to providing quality patient care. The role of the family is very important in the Hispanic community. The family structure tends be patriarchal and hierarchical. Social, emotional, and sometimes even financial support are provided by family members. Usually the father, oldest male, or husband holds the greatest power in the family and makes most of the health decisions. Machismo means the husband is the protector and is the decision maker for the family. Women are expected to respect and even be submissive to their husbands. Showing respect to all family member is important. It is important to understand and comply with gender roles (Medina, 2012).

Hispanic Culture in Healthcare Religion and spirituality is very important within the Hispanic culture and play a major role in healthcare decisions. Most Hispanics are Roman Catholic. Candles of pictures with Saints, baptisms of infants and anointing of the sick is common are very common for religious practices. Definitions and cultural perceptions of illness may be different than our own. Illness may be contributed to an imbalance between the person and environment. Hispanic culture use the “hot and cold” belief about illnesses. “Cold” diseases and conditions are characterized by vasoconstriction and a low metabolic rate such as colds, pneumonia, and colic. “Hot diseases and conditions are characterized by vasodilation along with a high metabolic rate such as diabetes and high blood pressure. “Cold” conditions are treated with hot medications and “hot” conditions are treated with cold medications to bring the body back into balance. Some Hispanic families prefer to use home remedies and folk healer called curandero. Healthcare professionals should be familiar with folk illnesses and beliefs. During labor women are many times not allowed to have interventional medication for pain. Labor and delivery of an infant is viewed as being natural (Medina, 2012).

Hispanic Culture in Healthcare Hispanic dietary needs largely consist of rice, beans, and tortillas. Chicken soup is frequently given to family members who are ill. Dietary accommodations during the hospital stay is very important (Medina, 2012).

References (2013). Becoming a culturally competent healthcare organization. Equity of Care. Retrieved from: http://www.diversityconnection.org/diversityconnection/membership/Resource%20Ce nter%20Docs/Equity%20of%20Care%20Report%20FINAL.pdf Beard, K., Gwanmesia, E., & Miranda-Diaz, G. (2015). Culturally competent care: using the efst model in nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 115(6), 58-62. DOI: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000466326.99804.c4 Medina, C.,(2012). Belief and traditions that impact the latino healthcare. Delta Region Aids Education and Training Center. Retrieved from: https://www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/physiology/docs/Belief%20and%20Traditions%20 that%20impact%20the%20Latino%20Healthcare.pdf