Summary: Cultural Differences In Nursing

Previously discussed in my posting this week, as working professionals in the healthcare field of nursing, we need to briefly assess the culture and the values our patient’s practice. In the diverse community we live in, we will encounter with patient’s who practice different beliefs, experiences and personal values, other than the one’s we practice. Nurses need to be aware of these cultural differences to be able to provide compassionate and competent patient care (Blais & Hayes, 2011). My chosen culture and value conflict is the use of herbal or nutritional therapy. Throughout my reading from this week’s reading section, I learned there is an increase in the interest of alternative medicine of the efficacy of folk healing techniques and herbal …show more content…
According to Smith (2014), a majority of healthcare facilities have nursing policies that are surrounded with assumptions that are unique to these system wide cultures. These assumptions include patient’s autonomy, self-care, as well as their right to information and decision making. These culturally linked assumptions may perhaps interfere with the cultural values and beliefs that the patient’s practice (Smith, 2014). Patients may often feel stereotyped and disrespected if their culture is not assessed properly, which may also lead to unsafe nursing care. Culturally competent care facilitates improvement in healthcare quality, misunderstandings are eliminated, and it decreases poor healthcare outcome. The way the patient feels, their attitudes, values and beliefs are more important than the patient’s ongoing signs and symptoms (Smith, 2014). To assist with these changes, as nurses, we can ask the patient what their culture is or if they practice any certain religion or belief and incorporate it into their plan of