Culture in Nursing
The concept of culture as it applies to the nursing practice is very crucial. The nursing profession is governed by a strict code of ethics which includes providing the best care for all of the patients and the community in general. Culture does not only have a direct influence on health practices but also plays part in how the patient perceives illness and suffering. A nurse will interact with people from different cultures on a daily routine. These people have unique beliefs, values and practices.
A common cultural issue in nursing involves faith and religious beliefs. Members of certain religious groups do not believe in certain types of medications, while others perceive and respond to illness in a unique way. People within a certain economic and social group may have a different take on health care. As such, the nurse should be aware, respect and acknowledge cultural preferences and belief of the patient and be sensitive when interacting with them. Otherwise, he or she might be viewed as insensitive or even incompetent.
When the nurse is aware of the cultural differences, he or she will identify the cultural practices associated with different communities, possible barriers and how to approach them as they focus on offering quality health care to their patients. It is the responsibility of the nurse to explore and identify the best possible way to provide health care to multicultural societies. By learning how the culture of the patient affects their health, he should come up with a way to bridge this gap such that the patient receives the best care services.
This brings us to the question, what are the qualities of a culturally competent nurse? culturally competent health care entails knowledge, attitudes, and skills tailored towards giving the best care for people across different languages and culture.
Knowledge is being aware of the culture of people in your service area and being conversant with traditions and values, particularly the ethnicity and the genetic composition common to a certain ancestry. Attitude is being cognizant of how the culture influences the behavior of your patients and being able to plan the appropriate care. Developing the skill set revolves around learning of better ways to communicate with your patients such that they easily understand the care plan.
The nurse should aim at developing a positive relationship with the patiens, such that there is a bond of trust between the two. without trust, the nurse might not be able to extend the best health care help to their patient
Research on the additional education and work that nursing staff
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