In order to meet the needs of culturally diverse groups, health care providers must engage in the process of becoming culturally competent. Cultural ability is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or amongst professionals and enables that system, agency or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. The idea of competence is used because it entails having the capacity to function effectively (Campinha-Bacote, Josepha, (2003).
It is very important for health care providers to be aware of the differences that exist between themselves and their patients. In order for the physician to be successful they have to be able to treat each patient as an individual. Each patient is different on many levels and each of these needs to be taken into account as a diagnosis and treatment plan in put into place. Health care providers need to be culturally aware and sensitive so that the patient feels comfortable in telling them everything that they need to know to treat them.
One way in which health care providers can be successful is to have cultural awareness. Cultural awareness is the process of self-examination and in-depth exploration of one's own cultural...
This process involves the recognition of a person's own biases, prejudices, and assumptions about individuals who are different. Without being aware of the weight of one's own cultural values, there is risk that the nurse may engage in cultural imposition. Cultural imposition is the tendency for a health care provider to impose their own beliefs, values and patterns of behavior upon others (Campinha-Bacote, Josepha, (2003).
References
Campinha-Bacote, Josepha. (2003). Many Faces: Addressing Diversity in Health Care.
Retrieved February 28, 2010, from the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Web site:
http://cms.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJ
IN/TableofContents/Volume82003/No1Jan2003/AddressingDiversityinHealthCare.aspx#
Purnell
Cultural Diversity and Health Care. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2010, from Web site:
http://hr.healthcare.ucla.edu/Download/Cultural%20Diversity%20and%20Health%20Car
e.ppt
Information on Cultural differences of patients. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2010, from Web
site: http://www.e-radiography.net/technique/Culture/culture_index.htm
