Cultural competence is one of the skills that facilitate the delivery of medical services (Andrews, 2008). Practitioners who possess this skill are able to account for the cultural background of their patient when providing services. Cultural competence allows the practitioner to consider such factors as the patient’s attitude as regards treatment and the patient’s religious perspectives. Cultural competence also enhances the relationship between practitioners and their patients (“Becoming a Culturally”, 2013). Overall, thanks to cultural competence, practitioners are able to enhance patient outcomes. If they wish to excel in their jobs, nurses and other medical practitioners need to embrace cultural competence.
Components of comprehensive cultural assessment
As part of their engagement with patients, medical practitioners need to carry out a comprehensive cultural assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that culture facilitates instead of hampering the administration of treatment. The cultural assessment that a practitioner conducts varies depending on such factors as the age and the state of the health of the patient. For example, a cultural assessment for a patient who is approaching the end of life should account for the state of this patient’s health. In the following discussion two components of comprehensive cultural assessment are examined in detail.
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Communication
Communication is among the factors that shape the effectiveness of care (Gordon, Deland & Kelly, 2015). When practitioners develop channels that allow for free communication, they are able to effectively deliver care. It has been established that culture shapes communication (Almutairi, 2015). For example, there are some cultures which encourage a distrust of the medical profession. These cultures essentially discourage communication between practitioners and their patients. As they conduct a cultural assessment, practitioners need to give particular focus to communication. Some of the questions that they should ask include the party who will make decisions regarding the health of the patient, whether the patient and their family trusts the provider of care and does the patient’s culture consider certain medical terms to be taboo. The practitioner could also seek to understand if there are certain traditional terms from the patient’s culture to explain the patient’s illness.
After a reflection on my own culture, I have determined that this culture would facilitate the delivery of medical care. I am from a culture that challenges us to seek medical attention when feeling ill. My culture also encourages its members to trust those in positions of authority. Furthermore, this culture reminds us to uphold such values as honesty, transparency and trust. Given the positions of my culture, I conclude that the culture would allow a medical practitioner to perform their mandate without much hindrance.
Social organization
Social organization is another component of comprehensive cultural assessment. Essentially, this component is concerned with such social forces as religion, family and traditional medicine. When conducting a cultural assessment, the practitioner needs to establish if the patient has faith in some supreme being (Arousell & Carlbom, 2016). It is also important for the practitioner to determine the functions that different members of the patient’s family perform. Another issue that the attending practitioner should consider is whether the patient consults traditional healers. In some cultures, traditional medicine is trusted and relied on for healing. Instead of dismissing traditional medicine, practitioners should critically examine its impacts on the health of patients.
As pointed out above, my culture encourages us to trust the medical profession. Another impact that our culture has had is that it has persuaded us to turn our backs on traditional medicine whose effectiveness has not been established. However, the culture permits us to seek the intervention of traditional healers who are known to deliver effective care. My culture has influenced my attitude regarding the delivery of culturally diverse care. Thanks to this culture, I now recognize that it is vital for practitioners to align their approaches with the cultural backgrounds of their patients.
During routine delivery of services, nurses and other practitioners encounter patients from different cultural backgrounds. The nurses are expected to issue diagnoses that reflect the cultural diversity. In the discussion below, two of these diagnoses are explored.
Impaired communication
As established above, communication is among the key components of cultural assessment. There are instances where the cultural differences between nurses and patients hamper effective communication. The barriers to communication need to be considered when diagnosing the patient. The need to consider these barriers stem from the impact that they have on patient outcomes. Left unresolved, the communication barriers would make it almost impossible for the practitioner to attend to the patient. Once it is established that impaired communication is hampering healthcare delivery, the nurse has an obligation to implement appropriate interventions. Seeking the involvement of another practitioner who is more familiar with the patient’s background is a promising strategy. This strategy is likely to eradicate the linguistic barriers and allow for smooth and effective communication between the patient and the practitioner.
Non-compliance
Non-compliance is another nursing diagnosis that reflects cultural diversity. It has already been mentioned that culture influences such issues as an individual’s perspectives and trust toward medical professionals. A patient’s culture may cause them to distrust their practitioner and refuse to receive care (Ohana & Mash, 2015). The devastation that can result from non-compliance is the primary rationale for its identification as a nursing diagnosis. If a patient continues to refuse to comply with treatment and the directives of practitioners, they risk developing complications or even facing death. Confronted with such a patient, the attending nurse should begin with efforts to build trust. The nurse needs to assure the patient that the only goal that medical care seeks to achieve is to ensure the patient’s recovery. This care plan is promising. It will enable the nurse to diagnose the patient unhindered.
In conclusion, there are many factors that influence the delivery of medical services. Culture is among the most vital of these factors. Culture shapes such issues as patients’ trust levels and their compliance with treatment. During their interactions with patients, nurses and other medical professionals should make considerations for the culture of the patients. This is the essence of cultural competence. Diagnosis and treatment should be such that they are in line with the cultural background of the patient.
References
Almutairi, K. M. (2015). Culture and Language Differences as a Barrier to Provision of Quality Care by the Health Workforce in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Medical Journal, 36 (4), 425-431.
Andrews, M. M. (2008). Theoretical Foundations of Transcultural Nursing. In Andrews, M. M., & Boyle, J. S. Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Arousell, J., & Carlbom, A. (2016). Cultural and Religious Beliefs in Relation to Reproductive Health. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynecology, 32, 77-87.
Becoming a Culturally Competent Health Care Organization. (2013). Retrieved March 8, 2018
From http://www.diversityconnection.org/diversityconnection/membership/Resource%20Center%20Docs/Equity%20of%20Care%20Report%20FINAL.pdf Gordon, J. E., Deland, E., & Kelly, R. E. (2015). Let’s Talk about Improving Communication inHealthcare. Columbia Medical Review, 1 (1), 23-27.
Ohana, S., & Mash, R. (2015). Physician and Patient Perception of Cultural Competency and Medical Compliance. Health Education Research, 30 (6), 923-934.
