In a UK progressively culturally diverse society, where various terms as culture, ethnicity and race have come across/encountered, it is relevant for nurses to be aware of how these may have an effect on their practice.
According to Fernando (2010) culture is a set of presumptions, values, ideas, expectations, meanings, norms and practices which have been transmitted and acquired throughout generations. Moreover, culture can be identified according to age (adolescent culture), backgrounds (studies, nationalities, language) and practice (nursing, clinician culture). Besides, Marzilli (2014) implies that “culture depends on the setting and the perspective of the person defining it”. This concept is applied to nursing or medical culture where …show more content…
When a patient, who does not have any knowledge of English as a language, comes to the hospital to receive treatment, nurses face a challenge about how to assess the patient. The Standard of Competence for Registered Nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2004) establishes that nurses must use a scope of communication skills, such as non-verbal communication (interpreting body language or eye contact) or request a language interpreter. Furthermore, they must acknowledge their own values and assumptions and how this might affect their communication with others to ensure the quality of the care given. Alternatively, Andrews and Boyle (2012) suggest that cross-cultural communication allows nurses to have a broader knowledge and understanding about how people communicate and interact with one another. When using cross-cultural communication, nurses should avoid using “technical jargon, slang and colloquial expressions” which enable nurses to have a fluent communication with …show more content…
Thus, it is relevant for nurses to develop a good level of cultural competence and cross-cultural communication to acknowledge patients’ cultural backgrounds as this will define the best care to meet the patients’ needs in a professional way of showing respect and care for them and keeping their dignity and enhance the quality of
According to Fernando (2010) culture is a set of presumptions, values, ideas, expectations, meanings, norms and practices which have been transmitted and acquired throughout generations. Moreover, culture can be identified according to age (adolescent culture), backgrounds (studies, nationalities, language) and practice (nursing, clinician culture). Besides, Marzilli (2014) implies that “culture depends on the setting and the perspective of the person defining it”. This concept is applied to nursing or medical culture where …show more content…
When a patient, who does not have any knowledge of English as a language, comes to the hospital to receive treatment, nurses face a challenge about how to assess the patient. The Standard of Competence for Registered Nurses (Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), 2004) establishes that nurses must use a scope of communication skills, such as non-verbal communication (interpreting body language or eye contact) or request a language interpreter. Furthermore, they must acknowledge their own values and assumptions and how this might affect their communication with others to ensure the quality of the care given. Alternatively, Andrews and Boyle (2012) suggest that cross-cultural communication allows nurses to have a broader knowledge and understanding about how people communicate and interact with one another. When using cross-cultural communication, nurses should avoid using “technical jargon, slang and colloquial expressions” which enable nurses to have a fluent communication with …show more content…
Thus, it is relevant for nurses to develop a good level of cultural competence and cross-cultural communication to acknowledge patients’ cultural backgrounds as this will define the best care to meet the patients’ needs in a professional way of showing respect and care for them and keeping their dignity and enhance the quality of