Introduction
Transcultural care challenges have become a key issue in contemporary healthcare systems since the healthcare landscape has become more diverse than ever (Kaihlanen et al., 2019). For the DNP, it is vital to address these challenges since quality and culturally appropriate care is crucial. The multidimensional character of the transcultural care challenges in the clinical arena can be investigated through this essay, and the feasible ways to overcome these complexities can be outlined.
Transcultural Care Challenges
Language barrier is one of the most common challenges in transcultural care. Communication between healthcare providers and patients is crucial for proper assessment, diagnosis, and treatment (Shamsi et al., 2020). However, when patients and providers cannot speak the same language, misunderstandings may arise, and the quality of care may be compromised because of communication erosions. These barriers are even more prevalent in multicultural environments where patients may use languages that are not familiar to healthcare practitioners. To eliminate language barriers, healthcare facilities need to adopt several strategies. At first, effective communication is guaranteed only with professional interpreters or translation services. CMI and trained in healthcare terminology can decipher information between the parties. Moreover, healthcare organizations can hire staff members who speak multiple languages which the patient population speaks. Also, pictorial images or translated content can support oral communication to promote patient comprehension. A diverse clinical setting cannot overemphasize the significance of having language interpretation services. For example, in a medical consultation with a Mandarin-speaking patient, an interpreter was trained to communicate between the patient and the healthcare provider. By receiving assistance from the interpreter, the patient could communicate their symptoms properly, enabling the provider to develop an appropriate treatment.
Cultural differences influence health beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Culture might affect the causation of disease, the treatment it receives, and the attitudes toward healthcare. Cultural points of view are essential because these differences can influence patient-provider relations and outcomes. Healthcare practitioners should conduct cultural assessments to determine patients’ cultural origin and preferences so that they can be in a better position to address the cultural differences in health attitudes and practices. Certain patient education materials and treatments may be culturally adapted to patients’ perceptions and habits (Nair & Adetayo, 2019). Therefore, healthcare staff will need to undergo cultural competence training that helps increase their awareness and understanding of the beliefs of other cultures. The practice of effective multicultural care involves recognizing and embracing cultural differences. They should, however, be sensitive to the cultural preference to receive traditional treatment along with mainstream medicine when treating Somali patients. The provider may earn different patients’ trust and working relationships through culturally competent care.
Nevertheless, health disparities are typically aggravated because of transcultural care issues that lead to uneven access and outcomes in healthcare. Such disparities are driven by money, education, and health care. Healthcare providers should address socioeconomic factors that affect health outcomes to address health disparities (Ndugga & Artiga, 2023). Socioeconomic issues such as health, education, employment, and housing that need to be addressed need community involvement. Promoting evidence-based healthcare policy and culturally appropriate outreach programs may help marginalized groups access preventive care, screenings, and health education. In an area with high health disparities, health justice necessitates initiatives that are taken ahead of time. Community-oriented health workers can work with community groups to build culturally adapted mobile health units. These clinics can provide preventive screenings, health education, and inexpensive health care to fill the healthcare gap and improve health outcomes.
Religion and spirituality explain people’s understanding of health, illness, and care towards the end of life. If there are inconsistent beliefs between patients and healthcare providers, it makes it difficult to make decisions and sometimes deliver care. Therefore, appreciation of patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs becomes necessary (Dillard et al..,2021). To address religious and spiritual beliefs in health care, healthcare provisions concerning and acknowledging religious practices and beliefs on healthcare choices and end-of-life care should be provided. Cooperation among the patients and spiritual care providers such as chaplains or religious leaders can contribute to dealing with the patient’s spiritual and emotional needs. Furthermore, it is paramount to open dialogue concerning advance directives and end-of-life personal preferences, considering patients’ cultural and religious beliefs. In the provision of care to a patient who is terminally ill from a Hindu background, the health professional should consider the religious beliefs held by the patient on issues of death and dying. Family consultations can be made with the help of Hindu spiritual care providers that would ensure proper end-of-life care, dignity, and comfort in all stages of the final phases of life.
Conclusion
To summarize, the challenges of transcultural care are wide-ranging and complicated; thus, healthcare professionals have to adjust their approach to care delivery according to the culture. The process of mimicking superhuman care, addressing language barriers, understanding cultural differences, addressing health disparities, and respecting religious and spiritual beliefs can form a cornerstone of transcultural care boundaries navigation by DNPs. Using culturally competent care, healthcare providers can achieve good patient outcomes and ensure health equity between the patients and the community.
References
Dillard, V., Moss, J., Padgett, N., Tan, X., & Kennedy, A. B. (2021). A cross-sectional survey study of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of religiosity, spirituality, and cultural competence in the medical profession. PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0252750. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252750
Kaihlanen, A.-M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: Qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC Nursing, 18(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x
Nair, L., & Adetayo, O. A. (2019). Cultural competence and ethnic diversity in healthcare. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open, 7(5). ncbi. https://doi.org/10.1097/gox.0000000000002219
Ndugga, N., & Artiga, S. (2023, April 21). Disparities in health and health care: 5 key questions and answers. Kaiser Family Foundation. https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/disparities-in-health-and-health-care-5-key-question-and-answers/
Shamsi, H. A., Almutairi, A. G., Al Mashrafi, S., & Al Kalbani, T. (2020). Implications of language barriers for healthcare: A systematic review. Oman Medical Journal, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.40
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