Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example

Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example

Healthcare professionals across the whole world deliver care to an increasing number of patients who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As such, problems associated to cultural and language issues have been recognized as a real and imminent threat to the safety of patients in health care organizations. These problems have necessitated the concept of cultural competence to be adopted as a strategic way to offer healthcare services that are equal and of quality to patients belonging to culturally diverse groups. In general, cultural competence describes a person’s cultural sensitivity or attitudes, cultural awareness as well as cultural skills and knowledge. However, within the context of heath care cultural competence refers to a professional’s understanding of how social and cultural factors shape the patients’ health behavior and beliefs and how these factors are tackled at different levels of health care delivery system to secure quality of healthcare (Kaihlanen et al, 2019). Similarly, Lee et al (2020) opine that healthcare staff must be equipped, ready and willing to ensure patient safety by offering culturally sensitive care. Consequently, this post purposes to offer a nurse’s reflections on my experience as a nurse with regard to diversity issues in health assessments. To achieve the goal, the paper uses a case study approach by reflecting on the social economic, spiritual, lifestyle and other culturally based factors using the case of TJ, a 32 year old lesbian being examined for her annual physical exam and has been having a vaginal discharge. The patient further reports her pregnancy has been without complications, admits receiving prenatal care from an obstetrician and that she received sperm from a local sperm bank. She also affirmative of taking prenatal vitamins, and occasionally takes over the counter Tylenol for aches and pain, has a strong family history of diabetes. In a nutshell her ob-gyn case is Gravida 1; Para 0; Abortions 0.This means her gravida  has had only one pregnancy, parity indicates she has had no pregnancy reaching a viable gestational age and no abortions as well.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Consideration on How I Would Build a Health History for the Patient

Culturally competent care demands that the provider be sensitive to the patient’s heritage, sexual orientation (in this case TJ belongs to minority population of LEGBIT as a lesbian) socio economic situation, ethnicity, and cultural background to ensure stereotyping does not happen during the building of the patient’s health history. There are concerns in that, TJ has had no vaginal sex yet is having a discharge. Ibrahim et al (2016) note that many pregnant women experience vaginal discharges that are either physiologic or pathologic hence the need for the provider to distinguish the vaginal infections with like serious input for pregnancy. One has to consider annoying but serious secretions, irritations and pruritus. Armed with this knowledge, some of the questions that I would ask TJ and their framing is presented here.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

1. I respect your values, beliefs and sexual orientation, what do I need to know regarding your past to provide care for you?
2. What are your family dynamics like?
3. What do you use when having your menstrual flow?
4. What is your current gender identity?
5. What do you use to use to wash the external genital area?

      Since the patient reports no problem with alcohol use the most preferred questioning model is CRAFFT model for Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Family and Trouble. In addition to the five questions I would ask the patient whether in the last nine months she has taken any alcohol, smoked hashish or marijuana or used anything else to get high. Part B would involve whether TJ has ever ridden in a car driven by a driver who was high, whether she use drugs to relax, or whether she takes alcohol or drugs when alone. Other questions are if yes, does she forget things after being intoxicated, whether friends tell her to cut down on drug abuse and lastly if she has ever landed into trouble while using drugs?(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

What strategies can one as a nurse employ to be sensitive to different cultural factors while gathering the pertinent information?

Brooks et al (2019) observe that the healthcare provider of the 2020s and beyond should have knowledge and skills to communicate with the patients in a culturally sensitive way. To avoid stereotyping and communicate effectively with the culturally diverse patient, the clinician should be aware of various cultural sensitivities, avoid making assumptions and learn about other cultures. All along, the provider should use appropriate language to educate the patient about healthy practices.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

In conclusion, the provider should be aware that cultural sensitivity in the healthcare community is no longer a choice but a necessity. As such nurses need to work harder to learn various cultures and appreciate their differences in order to provide culturally competent care.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

References

Brooks, L. A., Manias, E., & Bloomer, M. J. (2019). Culturally sensitive communication in healthcare: A concept analysis. Collegian, 26(3), 383-391.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Ibrahim, S. M., Bukar, M., & Audu, B. M. (2016). Management of Abnormal Vaginal Discharge in Pregnancy. In Genital Infections and Infertility. IntechOpen.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Kaihlanen, A. M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC nursing, 18(1), 1-9.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

Lee, S. E., Lee, M. H., Peters, A. B., & Gwon, S. H. (2020). Assessment of Patient Safety and Cultural Competencies among Senior Baccalaureate Nursing Students. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(12), 4225.(Culturally Competent Care Comprehensive Nursing Essay Example)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/