Why Transcultural Nursing Theory is Applicable

Transcultural nursing is important today because of the diversity of patients and wide range of cultures that they embody that nurses must provide holistic and individualized care for. Nurses that are culturally sensitive can better ensure that quality of care is given to patients and that patient satisfaction is high.

This is the essence of the article by Maier-Lorentz & Madeline (2008), which states because there are so many different ethnicities receiving healthcare from facilities, nurses must be aware of the cultural qualities and expectations that these patients have so as to be better prepared to provide treatment to them that is sensitive, respectful and effective. For a registered nurse, transcultural nursing can be particularly helpful because RNs have to provide a high level of professionalism and attentiveness to individual needs along with performing diagnoses, tests, and conducting treatments.

RNs often serve as the face of healthcare and the quality of care that they give various patients will reflect on the healthcare industry as a whole.

By practicing transcultural nursing and being aware of a wide range of cultures and various ethnic backgrounds and the kinds of treatment different cultures will expect (in some cultures patients will not want to be touched, in others patients will have strong religious or social beliefs that may impact how they want to be treated), RNs can adequately administer care to the many different and diverse groups of patients they are sure to encounter.

Understanding these differences and applying them in treatment can go a long way in ensuring that both patient and healthcare provider have a positive experience and that everyone comes away from the exchange with respect and appreciation for one another.

The article by Maier-Lorentz & Madeline (2008) defines cultural competence as "the ability to understand cultural differences in order to provide quality care to a diversity of people" -- i.e., the emotional and social intelligence skills needed to be "sensitive to issues related to culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation" (p. 37). Cultural competence is about being knowledgeable of and respectful towards other people's beliefs, choices, and wishes, especially when it comes to health care.

Maier-Lorentz & Madeline (2008) point out that cultural competence is an ongoing process, which means that one must be constantly learning about, engaging with, and developing cultural competency, as there are many new groups, beliefs, cultures, and ideas forming all the time. As Wayne (2014) notes, the transcultural theory of nursing also enables nurses to provide meaningful care within the context of the patient's cultural framework.

In other words, the conditions of quality care that may apply to one patient may not apply to another patient of a different culture, background or belief system. A nurse trained transcultural nursing will have a developed sense of these differences and will be aware of indicators and of questions to ask that will prompt the appropriate responses in patients regarding cultural preferences in a way that does not come across as offensive. The article is applicable to all types of nursing practice, especially in the providing of treatments.

Interventions can be based on a number of assumptions,.