Nurses encompass the largest segment of healthcare professionals that practice in a wide range of settings while dealing with diverse patients. Patients often have specific views on their health status or conditions due to their literacy level and have specific identities in the privileged-disadvantaged social system. Moreover, with the rising need for culturally competent and person-centered care in a diverse practice setting, nurses must enhance their knowledge, skills, and expertise to address these demands effectively.
Recently, I have provided care for a diabetic patient in an inpatient unit of a community hospital in my nursing practice. The patient was male, Hispanic, with type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol levels. According to their medical records, the patient has been receiving medication, mainly metformin, and education on managing blood sugar levels. The patient seemed to have limited knowledge of his health status primarily due to language barriers leading to difficulties reading and understanding some information. The family also has no health insurance; thus, they have difficulty accessing necessary healthcare services.
During assessment and examination using an interview to gather subjective and objective data on the patient’s family and medical history, he expressed particular views about his health condition. The patient stated that one of his aunts from the father’s side of the family has been battling diabetes, and he believes that may explain his condition due to genetic factors. However, the patient also attributed this health condition to a sedentary lifestyle, which encompasses a lack of physical activity and an unhealthy diet with plenty of junk food which explains his being overweight. However, the patient did not understand the effect smoking has in increasing the likelihood of type 2 diabetes since he mentioned careless smoking in his younger years.
Health literacy demonstrates the degree to which an individual can obtain, process, and understand simple health information and then utilize it to make crucial health decisions. In this case, the patient’s health literacy is considerably low due to limited health education and a possible language barrier. The patient did not fully grasp the concept of self-care or managing his health condition largely because he could not understand the medical terms and concepts since English is not his first language. The situations of privilege and disadvantage fall on opposite sides of a spectrum and are well intertwined such that one aspect cannot exist without the other. In this continuum, the patient’s identities mostly fall on the privileged side since he is a male, heterosexual adult (Lor et al., 2016). However, his identity also falls under the disadvantaged side concerning his Hispanic ethnicity entailing a large population of underrepresented groups in the United States with historical trauma.
To offer culturally sensitive care to the patient, I would utilize plain and simple language rather than complicated jargon when discussing essential components of his treatment plan and strategies to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Involving the patient’s family in the care plan, particularly his wife and children, will enhance the treatment process and promote cultural competence (Deering, 2022). Having an interpreter during regular checkups with the patient in the future would facilitate efficient communication and understanding such that no information will be lost in translation. Additionally, rather than making baseless assumptions, I would listen effectively and incorporate certain aspects of the patient’s culture into the care plan for better outcomes.
Conclusion
To effectively deliver culturally competent care to diverse patients, nurses must develop a strong cultural awareness and competence for relevant advocacy of the patients, their families, and populations. Similarly, examining and understanding personal bias and values helps healthcare providers discover and avoid any prejudice than may hinder patient care. Thus, healthcare providers should conduct a relevant assessment of the patients to determine their diagnosis or health literacy and prepare a comprehensive care plan tailored directly to their needs.
References
Deering, M. (2022, September 26). Cultural competence in nursing. Retrieved from https://nursejournal.org/resources/cultural-competence-in-nursing/
Lor, M., Crooks, N. & Tluczek, A. (2016). A proposed model of person, family, and culture-centered nursing care. Nursing Outlook, 64(4). DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2016.02.006
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