Key Principles of Cultural Competence in Nursing Practice

Abstract

There are plenty of key principles in nursing that relate to cultural competence. So with application to an adult nursing practice these cultural competence in nursing are analysed in the current essay. These factors that may influence nursing interventions when caring for a patients spiritual, cultural and safeguarding needs.

Cultural Competence in Nursing

Cultural competence within nursing can be used to reference a, “multi-cultural knowledge base that nurses need, together with the ability to apply such knowledge in practice”. Furthermore, in relation to nursing, Papadopoulos defines culture as “the shared way of life of a group of people that includes beliefs, values, ideas, language, communication, norms and visibly expressed forms such as customs, art, music, clothing and etiquette. Culture is an element that has an impact on people’s health-related beliefs and behaviours and therefore is an important factor to take into consideration in a care setting. According to Leininger a way to provide culturally competent care, is for nurses to build a rapport with their patients and therefore develop understanding of the cultural backgrounds of each patient.

Culture has an impact on people’s health-related beliefs and behaviours and therefore it is an important factor when caring for a person from a culture different. Culture as explored by Kleinman & Benson can usually lead to stereotypical attitudes, cultural misunderstandings, prejudices and discrimination.

Papadopoulos, Tiki and Taylor focused on a model for developing cultural competence. The model was developed with four categories with the aim to provide effective health care that takes the patient’s cultural beliefs, behaviours and needs into consideration in the nursing process. The four categories being; cultural awareness, cultural knowledge and cultural sensitivity as components of cultural competence. Gerrish and Papadopoulos highlighted the importance of developing these culturally generic competencies throughout professional care as they are applicable on a broad-spectrum pf cultural group. Papadopoulos argues that these competencies help us become ‘culture-specific’, particular to specific cultural groups, for example how cultural identity mediates for health. In comparison a theory framework outlined by Ramsden based on Negotiated and Equal Partnership Model, claimed that cultural safety should be seen as a partnership between the patient. Culture-specific knowledge is not emphasised within Ramsdens model as the risk for stereotyping is higher and an issue found within Papadopoulos’ , Tiki and Taylors model, although this research was outlined in New Zealand and therefore its cultural validity may be unreliable.

A challenge when delivering cultural competence within nursing according to research found by Culley is that nurses become ’experts’ in cultural knowledge in regard to particular ethnic groups, thus leading to negative stereotyping, this in turn leads to a checklist approach to cultural diversity. However theoretical frameworks developed such as Papadopoulos, Tiki and Taylors’ model helps minimise this risk as it looks at cultural sensitivity as a category and highlights the importance of having an equal partnership which will allow negotiation, and therefore challenge these stereotypes on a person to person basis, further supported by Dalrymple and Burke who emphasises this necessity for culturally sensitive care.

In conclusion, due to the need for culturally competent and diverse nurses, nurses must have the knowledge of how to become culturally competent. To undertake this challenge, nurses must understand cultural competence; what cultural competence is, what comprises it, and how to incorporate appropriate cultural care in a health setting, which can be done through the use of frameworks such as, Papadopoulos’ Tiki and Taylors and Dalrymple and Burke.

References

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• Coup, A. (1996). Cultural safety and culturally congruent care: A comparative analysis of Irihapeti Ramsden’s and Madeline Leininger’s educational projects for practice. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 11, 4-11. [Accessed: 8th July 2019]
• Culley, L. (2008). Cultural diversity and nursing practice. Journal of Research in Nursing, 13(2), pp.86-88 [Accessed 5th July 2019].
• Gerrish, K. and Papadopoulos, I. (1999). Transcultural competence: the challenge for nurse education. British Journal of Nursing, 8(21), pp.1453-1457. [Accessed: 8th July 2019]
• Jirwe, M., Gerrish, K. and Emami, A. (2006). The Theoretical Framework of Cultural Competence. Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, 12(3), pp.6-16. [Accessed: 7th July 2019]