Cultural Competence In Nursing Care

The United States is a culturally diverse country that brings forth many differences in health care beliefs and practices. All cultures have each individual system of health beliefs explaining the cause of illness, how it can be treated or cured, as well as where to acquire treatment. The word culture is associated with norms, values, and traditions passed down through generations (Potter, Perry, Hall, & Stockert, 2017, p. 102). In other words, culture reveals how people think, do, and respond to certain situations pertaining to their social, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellbeing. In the United States, many individuals experience barriers to good health due to health disparities. According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services …show more content…
103). Providing a culturally competent nursing care is important for building trust and developing a symbiotic relationship towards good health. Nurses will be able to take a better care of their individual patients by “seeing the patient as a unique person…to render effective patient-centered care” (Campinha-Bacote, 2011). Developing cultural competency, opens the door for patients to receive cultural care – a holistic care – where nurses are able to understand the manifestations of the patient’s cultural heritage and life trajectory (Spector, 2016). The rationale for cultural competence is to promote safety and quality of care, to advocate social justice, and to eliminate health disparities among diverse …show more content…
Failure to understand cultural competence and to appropriately respond to cultural disparities can cause implications of non-compliance and decreased satisfaction of the clients. The goal of cultural competence is to be able to provide cultural-sensitive care that is respectful and receptive without compromising the patient’s spiritual, emotional and physical