1. Communication and Cultural Competency in Nursing
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2. Overview Critical aspect of quality healthcare
Comprehension of patients beliefs, behaviors, biases, attitudes,
Exploring the patient’s family context
Effective communication between the patients and healthcare providers is an essential aspect as this is a determinant on the quality of care provided. Notably, the capacity of the caregivers to understand the patient’s beliefs, attitude, behaviors and biases is enhanced by effective communication between both parties (Broome, 2007). Specifically, this can help the care givers to improve the quality of care provided by identifying the varying aspects that might be considered inappropriate by the patient or his family (Broome, 2007). For example, if the caregiver feels that the patient has the right to full disclosure on his health status he/she may advocate for the latter to be informed. Despite this, the patients family might be from a culture that believes such information should be relayed by them. therefore, it will be important for the caregiver to respect their needs, an aspect that can be attained through effective communication.

3. Relevance to Cultural Competency
Delivery of Quality care
Enhanced patient satisfaction
Improved adherence to recommendations i.e. prescriptions
Improved health outcomes
Reduced ethnic disparities in quality of care
Enhanced communication is essential in cultural competency as the caregiver comprehensively understands the patients attitudes, behaviors, biases and beliefs, an aspect that enhanced the delivery of quality care (Taylor & Lurie, 2007). Effective patient-nurse communication is associated with varying aspects including improved quality of care, enhanced patient satisfaction, improved health outcomes and enhanced adherence to treatment recommendations (Taylor & Lurie, 2007). Additionally, components of communication that take into consideration the differences between the provider and the patient, especially in regard to beliefs and culture, play a critical role in reducing ethic and racial disparities in quality care (Taylor & Lurie, 2007).

4. Trends Enhanced Focus on cultural competence
Cross-cultural conflict resolution
Personal reflection is crucial to cultural competence appropriateness
Communication and cultural competence
Considerably, there is an enhanced focus on cultural competence based on the fact that it improves quality of care. In this regard, provides have intensified their focus on cultural competence as they strive to improve healthcare outcomes. Additionally, addressing the cross-cultural conflicts is an emerging aspect based on the fact that it enables practioners to meet the specific needs of patients irrespective of the cultural background (Winters, 2013). Therefore, it is increasingly important to understand the roles of varying cultural contexts (Winters, 2013). Significantly, if practioners are to provide culturally competent care, they are required to enhance communication and reflect on their cultural competency cultural practices, biases and beliefs.

5. Cultural Competence Effective practioner-patient Communication
Accurate evaluation of the patients culture
Comprehension of the ethnical, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, and cultural practices that act as barriers
When planning for competent care, the practioner should incorporate vast knowledge regarding the patients beliefs, attitudes, biases and culture to ensure the provision of high quality care. Significantly, practioners should possess effective communication skills to enhance mutual understanding (Taylor & Lurie, 2007). Through this, the practitioner incorporate information regarding the appropriate questions to be asked, the need to use alternative practioners in case of sexual orientation and the need for alternative therapies without disrespecting the patient (Broome, 2007). Notably, this cannot be obtained without efficient communication as this forms the basis of relaying relevant information between the two parties. Considerably, practioners should acquire relevant knowledge on the probable barriers that might be based on ethnical, religious or cultural grounds to ensure that the desirable actions is taken into consideration (Broome, 2007).

6. Recommendations Educating staff on culturally competent care
Establishing journal clubs to review the current literature on cultural competence
Generating monthly cultural awareness activities
Provide educational workshop on communication and cross- cultural assessment.
Notably, staff should be educated on cultural competence to update them in the required information and the practical skills for use when providing care to patents (Broome, 2007). Significantly, journal clubs can be established to review the current literature of cultural competence such as the need for personal reflexivity and relay it to their colleagues (Taylor & Lurie, 2007). Additional recommendations including developing monthly cultural awareness activities and providing education workshops on cultural assessment and communication to ensure that cultural competence is part and parcel of the practioners practices.

7. Recommendations (Cont.)
Continual training on cultural competence
Transformational efforts by healthcare providers
Developing assessment strategies
Developing policies
Healthcare providers should do more that educating the practioners on importance of cultural competence. To attain this, continual training should be upheld based on the fact that a few hours of training is insufficient (Winters, 2013). With this, the practioners will possess the required knowledge and skills to enhance cultural competent care. Transformational efforts should be given attention by healthcare providers for instance applying the six sigma model to develop cultural competence (Winters, 2013). Additionally, assessment strategies should be developed to ascertain the competence of the practioners in meeting the needs for patients from varying cultures. This will be a quality check of their education, workshops and training. Significantly, policies should be developed that aim at recruitment and retention of a culturally diverse workforce within the healthcare institutions.

8. References
Broome, M. (2007). Effective Communication And Delivery Of Culturally Competent Health Care. National Institute of Health.
Taylor, S. & Lurie, N. (2007). The Role Of Culturally Competent Communication In Reducing Ethnic And Racial Healthcare Disparities. The American Journal Of Managed Care, Vol 10.
Winters, M. (2013). Trend 2.2 – The Cultural Competence Mandate. Accessed November 14, 2017 from competence-mandate/