Enhancing Cultural Awareness and Competence in Healthcare. The social determinants of health play a differential role in the lives of individuals, being patently dependent on variables like living conditions and healthcare accessibility. When it comes to modern medicine, although many novel medical treatments have been introduced, interpersonal health disparities worsen the role of healthcare providers. According to Handtke et al (2019), the already existing cultural competence becomes a critical use of the tool for correcting these health inequalities and for minority groups. It entails providing tender loving care that addresses each patient's convictions and habits. When healthcare systems are arranged to be considerate of variations in …show more content…
As stated by Shepard et al (2019), such iatrogenic factors like cultural differences, necessitate healthcare systems to adapt the practices to accommodate them. It requires healthcare systems to adapt their current practices to accommodate cultural differences. Cultural competency makes it crucial for healthcare organizations to be flexible enough to adopt practices that cater to cultural differences. Realizing the role of race and other factors like social status in the treatment-seeking behavior of people is very important in fostering peaceful coexistence among the workforce and improving welfare care among different peers. Such care can be individualized and adjusted to patients according to their needs, ensuring they receive the appropriate treatment. Therefore, medical professionals need to be well-educated and be able to treat the issues. Raising the individual's health and health care delivery is improved by adequate cultural …show more content…
By paying more attention to cultural differences, the healthcare staff can increase a mutually understanding feeling with patients, translating into better communication and good treatment compliance. However, a culturally competent approach helps erase differences and promote patient safety and also helps develop a more inclusive and egalitarian healthcare system to uplift the needs of various communities irrespective of cultural
Cultural competency is a very significant necessity in health care today and the lack of it in leadership and in the health workforce, is quite pressing. The lack of cultural competency can bring about dire consequences such as racial and ethnic disparities in health care. It may not be the sole reason for these disparities, but it certainly places a significant role. A patient and health care provider relationship is very significant and can make or break the quality of care that is given. The lack of cultural competency leads to poor communication which then leads to those of diverse backgrounds to feel either unheard or just plain misunderstood. As an East African
As a nurse, I am obligated to care for all cultures, and try to understand their values, beliefs, spirituality, gender roles, and language. Cultures can range from different families, environments, disabilities, or even genders. It is a very broad topic, and I hope to recognize these cultures in my nursing career. Some barriers may exist that can make it challenging to work with people of a different culture, but it is possible to overcome these with the resources within the health care system. The Health Policy Institute identifies that “[t]he goal of culturally competent health care services is to provide the highest quality of care to every patient, regardless of race, ethnicity, cultural background, English proficiency or literacy” (“Cultural Competence”, 2004). Additionally, cultural competence is an ongoing process that involves both the client, and health care professional to work together that best suits the client’s
Cultural competence has to do with one’s culture. Culture affects among other factors, how children are raised, how families communicate, what is considered normal or abnormal, ways of coping with issues, the way we dress, when and where we seek medical treatment, and so forth. I should know because I come from a very cultural home where it is considered bad to talk to a male doctor about anything gynecological.
From patients not wanting people of color to deliver care to them and patients from different religion having difficulties with the value of care. Healthcare organizations are working tremendously to develop cultural competence in it facilities. An article titled “Why Diversity matters in Health Care?”, defines cultural competence as “the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including the tailoring of delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs.” Diversity is one important aspect in the healthcare system because different people from different backgrounds, cultures and religions all seek care one or the other. Having this change in the healthcare system will really help deliver the quality of care to all patients. Strengths-based practices that will be effective in helping with healthcare diversity, will be to respect the differences of patients’ cultures and background. Also staffs have to be culturally sensitive about everything associated with the patients’ social identity too. Even with domestic violence that goes on among African American women, a patient who has been abuse can come into the hospital and staff must show respect and treat them as
An individual’s culture and belief may significantly impact the type of services they require. In addition, it may affect the time, place, and method in the delivery of health care
As we are living in this culturally diverse society it is of extreme importance that healthcare providers deliver appropriate services that are fair, culturally sensitive and are respective of the individual’s culture. This can only truly occur when health care providers understand individual cultures and the needs, values and beliefs of the individuals within them.
By every individual accepting and acknowledging that we are all different then there will be mutual respect for each other’s cultural difference. When these differences are explored in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment, they are more than simply tolerating others but that through these differences are instead commended and embraced. People become aware of each other’s difference and uniqueness such as religion, sexual orientation, race, gender, age and beliefs. When this is embraced by the health care providers then there will be improved care.
As we are living in this culturally diverse society it is of extreme importance that healthcare providers deliver appropriate services that are fair, culturally sensitive and are respective of the individual’s culture. This can only truly occur when health care providers understand individual cultures and the needs, values and beliefs of the individuals within
Today in the United States of America, the race and culture that a person is raised in determines the quality of health care he or she will receive for a lifetime. Minority patients tend to receive a lower quality of health care as opposed to patients who are the same race as their doctor. Minorities reported to be less satisfied with visits to the doctor (Schnittker and Liang 811). This action puts minority patients’ health at risk and can cause them many consequences in the long run. Doctors should work on improving their relationship with minority patients by learning how to communicate verbally and nonverbally with them, educating themselves on how different cultures show symptoms to diseases, and entitling minorities to health insurance.
Cultural competence can be defined as using the ability of one’s awareness, attitude, knowledge and skill to effectively interact with a patient’s many cultural differences. Madeline Leininger, a pioneer on transcultural nursing describes it this way; “a formal area of study and practice focused on comparative human-care differences and similarities of the beliefs, values and patterned lifeways of cultures to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial health care to people” (Barker, 2009, p. 498). The importance of cultural diversity in healthcare allows for the delivery of appropriate cultural autonomy. Showing respect for others will lead to trust between nurse and patient which in turn improves healing and health.
Bentancourt et al. (2005) allows asserts that there are three distinctive reasons why cultural competency is so very important for the American healthcare system. American is composed of a very diverse population, which mean healthcare providers will continual be exposed to treating individuals from various backgrounds and from various cultures; their beliefs regarding their health or healthcare may range widely. When patients have a deficiency in the English language, proper healthcare delivery becomes increasingly more difficult as they will present symptoms in the syntax of their culture and their first language. Also, research shows the communication between the patient and their provider directly correlates to their satisfaction as well as their responsiveness or willingness to follow the health provider medical instructions; this ultimately affects the patient’s health outcome (Bentancourt et al., 2005). It’s fair to say that a successful health outcome is also contingent upon the interaction of the health provider and patient. Reports generated by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) – “Crossing the Quality Chasm and Unequal Treatment, confirms that cultural competence that focuses on the care of patient through
In the clinical setting, nurses are believed to spend the most time with patients. This involves regularly dealing with people coming from different ethnicities and with different cultural practices and beliefs (Brown & Edwards, 2012). Given this cultural diversity, every patient may have his/her own cultural beliefs and practices regarding his/her own health and its treatment which can be similar or different to those ...
In today's globalized and diverse world, it is crucial to effectively navigate and interact with people from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Effective communication and interaction across cultural boundaries requires a specific set of skills and knowledge, referred to as cultural competence. This means having the ability to understand, respect, and communicate effectively with people from various cultural backgrounds, including their values, beliefs, and perspectives. Cultural competence has become an essential skill for building meaningful relationships and achieving common goals, both in personal and professional settings. This assignment aims to provide insight into the significance of cultural competence, consider one's ability to engage with diverse populations, and improvise a comprehensive plan for
The patients that healthcare workers see everyday are all diverse and have different values and cultures. Each culture should be understood and respected among healthcare workers in order to create the best outcome for a patient. In the Ted Talk by Pellegrino Riccardi, he elaborates on the challenges of cross cultural communication and there are many takeaways from his talk that can be incorporated into the healthcare system. Why is cultural competency important? Cultural competency is services that respond to the needs of diverse patient populations.
Understanding cultural differences not only improves the effectiveness of the treatment the patient receives, it is also help the nurse to prevent negliency of care. It is impostant to maintain a curiosity about each patient no matter how much we know abouth that person's culture.