Cultural Competence
Nurses should be culturally competent and understand cultural differences because person-centered care requires empathy and individualization (Ahn & Yi, 2022). Empathy is what enables a nurse to understand, to realize what it is like to be in that persons shoes, and to consider best how that person would like to be treated. This can be difficult to do when one knows nothing about the persons culture. Culture is what tells about a persons values, beliefs, expectations, and needs. Understanding culture is the first step in understanding a person, and understanding a person is the first step in being able to give person-centered care.
Cultural competence also helps the nurse to be better able to communicate with the patient. Some cultures have their own norms for how to communicate and they can differ from one to another. If a nurse is not mindful of this he runs the risk of saying something in a manner that might be insulting or offensive. To achieve patient satisfaction, the nurse should consider how communication is usually expected in that particular culture. Culture and communication are like two peas in a pod. If communication is done well, trust and respect can be fostered between the nurse and the patient, which can help down the road when it comes time to implementing a care plan and making sure the patient is going to adhere to it (Greene & Ramos, 2021).
Finally, culturally competent care can help nurses to minimize the gaps in healthcare quality and access that marginalized and minority populations often experience (Hussen et al., 2020). If they understand the populations needs and values, nurses can provide more personalized and open the door more effectively for those people who might otherwise never reach out for care. If people feel respected and valued rather than frowned upon for their culture, it can help to close the gap in health inequity.
References
Ahn, S., & Yi, Y. (2022). Factors influencing mental health nurses in providing person-centered
care.Nursing ethics,29(6), 1491-1502.
Greene, J., & Ramos, C. (2021). A mixed methods examination of health care provider behaviors
that build patients trust.Patient Education and Counseling,104(5), 1222-1228.
Hussen, S. A., Kuppalli, K., Castillo-Mancilla, J., Bedimo, R., Fadul, N., & Ofotokun, I. (2020).
Cultural competence and humility in infectious diseases clinical practice and research.The Journal of infectious diseases,222(Supplement_6), S535-S542.
