Essay on Cultural Competence

Understanding of culture, cultural competence, and cultural competence care

Cultural competence is positive behaviors, attitudes, and regulations that enable individuals from different cultures to converse and interact successfully. “Culture” suggests a race, ethnic, religious, or societal group’s beliefs, values, and ideas. Competence denotes the capacity to perform successfully. It is an essential competency for effective workplace communication and teamwork. Increased effectiveness and output can result from having personnel who possess this ability. Many positive outcomes can result from teaching people to understand and appreciate those different from themselves. Culturally proficient nurses tend to be more receptive to new ideas and points of view. They can empathize with one another and comprehend where their peers are coming from. Because of the increased teamwork and morale, productivity may improve. People of various cultural backgrounds often develop better solutions to problems when they work together. Teams with a wide range of perspectives can better generate novel solutions to challenges (Sharifi et al., 2019). It can also aid businesses in making genuine connections with a broader pool of prospective consumers. Effective cross-cultural dialogue necessitates careful attention and precise wording. Group members are responsible for expressing themselves plainly and succinctly. They should also listen carefully to others to fully grasp their perspectives and ideas. Improved listening and speaking skills are two outcomes of training for cultural proficiency.

Cultural competence care is the ability to provide excellent medical treatment to patients while also respecting their views, race, and values because of that knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting the ethnic differences among one’s patients is essential. Patient identification, health, habits, and cultural awareness can all benefit from a greater understanding of cultural norms and practices. Even though there are many different civilizations, their experience could improve patient treatment. Cultures vary in many ways, but they all significantly affect individuals’ habits, ways of thinking, and methods of communication, priorities, and worldviews. Nurses must recognize ethnic differences among their patients and adapt their care, evaluation, and treatment accordingly (Botelho & Lima, 2020). We must offer an exercise of culturally appropriate treatment consistent with our patients’ cultural requirements in light of our understanding of the increasing cultural variety and long-standing health disparities within varied groups.

Evaluate yourselves

One can evaluate themselves based on cultural competence care in nursing by self-assessment, which can be cultural literacy through a meaningful introduction and ongoing practice. One way to better comprehend other people’s points of view is to become aware of one’s beliefs, biases, and assumptions about other societies. Communicating effectively between healthcare staff and patients can be challenging (Brottman et al., 2020). As a result, this may affect how healthcare professionals and patients approach therapy. A doctor might assume patients do not want treatment because they are not talking to them. Even though the patient’s answer likely mirrored their concept of appropriate behavior, the doctor might still decide not to seek a diagnostic test. When doctors and nurses fail to recognize the ways in which their patients differ from them, they may unwittingly administer subpar care. Healthcare workers can better serve all of their patients by learning to speak successfully across ethnic lines. Healthcare teams benefit from having people who are ethnically and demographically similar to their patients. This helps improve cross-cultural communication. Cultural understanding and appreciation can flourish in teams where members come from a wide range of experiences and perspectives. This improves the possibility of providing care that takes into account patients’ cultural backgrounds. This increases the likelihood of a sympathetic response to patients’ ethnic requirements. There should also be no language barriers. Due to language barriers, patients have difficulty articulating their symptoms, and doctors have difficulty conveying their findings. A language impediment can lead to uncomfortable or dangerous circumstances in other ways. For instance, young people may be asked to translate for their parents, placing them in the problematic situation of breaking the news that their child has cancer (Gradellini et al., 2021). In another scenario, clinicians might depend on batterers’ partners to translate for them. There are significant issues with both systems.

How to implement cultural services in your community

Learning about the customs and conditions of a community is essential to comprehending an individual’s behavior, way of life, and growth. I will elaborate on how this can be accomplished and what it means for preschool programs. Humans develop as participants in cultural communities. One can only make sense of their growth by considering their group’s cultural practices and changing conditions. Community leaders are warm and welcoming to newcomers because they know or can quickly gauge their character. It is crucial for people living in a multicultural society to be conscious of the experiences of others. The simple act of observing the behavior of others can yield invaluable insights (Lau & Rodgers, 2021). Cultural awareness is the most critical element in bettering society as a whole. A more culturally varied society would emerge if people consciously tried to increase their cultural sensitivity.

Provide examples of cultural competence in nursing care

Standards of cultural competence nursing care include:

• Using language that is straightforward for the benefit of the sufferer.
• They respected a person’s right to practice their faith without interference from the healthcare provider.
• Always putting the patient’s feelings first.
• Respecting and praising each person’s unique qualities and accomplishments in the medical surroundings.

Reference

Botelho, M. J., & Lima, C. A. (2020). From cultural competence to cultural respect: A critical review of six models. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(6), 311-318.

Brottman, M. R., Char, D. M., Hattori, R. A., Heeb, R., & Taff, S. D. (2020). Toward cultural competency in health care: a scoping review of the diversity and inclusion education literature. Academic Medicine, 95(5), 803-813.

Gradellini, C., Gómez-Cantarino, S., Dominguez-Isabel, P., Molina-Gallego, B., Mecugni, D., & Ugarte-Gurrutxaga, M. I. (2021). Cultural competence and cultural sensitivity education in university nursing courses. A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 682920.

Lau, L. S., & Rodgers, G. (2021). Cultural competence in refugee service settings: a scoping review. Health Equity, 5(1), 124–134.

Sharifi, N., Adib-Hajbaghery, M., & Najafi, M. (2019). Cultural competence in nursing: A concept analysis. International journal of nursing studies, 99, 103386.