Free Essay Sample on Culturally Sensitive Care

Providing culturally sensitive care is an important aspect that all healthcare providers need to possess in order to provide a patient with the best possible holistic care. Culturally sensitive care has been defined by the Office of Minority Health as “the ability to be appropriately responsive to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of groups of people that share a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage.” One’s culture may be essential to their daily life and activities, so it is crucial that it be involved in a patient’s care plan. There are many determinants about why a patient wants their cultural needs considered in their healthcare plan. Some of these factors may include values, beliefs, and lifeways that one uses to connect with others in the same culture. 

All nurses need to be sensitive and self-aware of their practices in biases in culture and how they might affect the patient that is in their care. The article,  Self-awareness: a tool for providing culturally competent care goes in-depth to explain how “nurses being self-aware can help them provide culturally competent care to patients and their families” (Younas, 2020, p. 61). The article states that “cultural competence is essential for establishing rapport with patients and for assessing patients' needs, including those arising from their cultural and social values and beliefs” (Younas, 2020, p. 61). This quote describes that nurses first need to develop cultural competence in order for the patient to feel more comfortable with the nurse as their culture helps the patient to understand their values and beliefs. If the nurse is unable to develop cultural competence, it may affect the patient’s care as their values and beliefs are not being taken into consideration. 

One way that nurses can enhance their cultural competence is through the use of personal reflection and self-awareness. The article states “A nurse's personal religious and cultural beliefs can affect the ability to care for patients in a culturally competent manner” (Younas, 2020, p. 62). This quotation exemplifies how nurses need to consider what the patients' cultural beliefs are while caring for a patient who has different cultural beliefs and religious views than they do. If the nurse’s care for the patient is clouded by their views it may affect the patient's care as the patients' cultural and religious views are not being considered in their care plan. 

Another important factor that nurses need to implement in their care was stated in the article “By improving communication with patients, culturally competent nursing care increases patient satisfaction and encourages patients to participate in and adhere to the treatment regimen” (Younas, 2020, p. 62). This quotation embodies one of the most essential nursing applications for the patients' needs. If the nurse communicates with the patient and recognizes the importance of the patients’ cultural and religious needs the patient will have an enhanced recovery as the patient is more involved in their care. 

While communication is one of the most important nursing considerations, nurses also need to consider their own biases and reflect on them. The article states “Self-aware nurses reflect on their strengths and limitations; acknowledge their racial, cultural, and religious prejudices; and recognize negative and positive potentials to care for patients in different contexts and settings” (Younas, 2020, p. 62). This quote signifies the need for nurses to be self-aware of their own biases toward their patients in order to provide culturally sensitive care and avoid cultural imposition on patients. It is a necessity for healthcare providers to be aware of their biases so they can confront them and keep an open mind to what the patient's values and beliefs require. 

 One culture that I chose to focus on was Spanish and Latino culture. I believe that this culture is very prevalent in America, especially in healthcare. In the article Culture's Influence on Stressors, Parental Socialization, and Developmental Processes in the Mental Health of Children of Immigrants, the author explains the stress that immigration has on a child’s mental health. The article states that “Culture-specific and transcultural factors can also fuse to influence the mental health of children of immigrants” (Yeong Kim, Schwartz, Perreira, & Juang, 2018, p. 5). This quote further explains the stress that immigrant children experience as they endure a culture shift that is different from what the child is accustomed to. This stress is detrimental to the child’s mental health as they attempt to integrate into a culture they are not familiar with. In the article, the quote “Transcultural stressors, such as economic pressure and neighborhood disadvantage, have been shown to have both direct and indirect links to adolescent mental health among Asian and Latino children of immigrants” (Yeong Kim, Schwartz, Perreira, & Juang, 2018, p. 7). This quote expresses the stress of a culture change and economic pressure that can affect the family’s well-being and mental health as they are put at a disadvantage from those who are already adapted to the culture and economic standards.

Being a culturally sensitive nurse is an essential part of the nursing profession. Through the use of culturally sensitive care, the nurse is able to include the patient’s needs in the patient’s care plan. This is essential to both the nurse and the patient as both are involved in the care and recovery. By following the patient's cultural wishes, the nurse is able to provide holistic culturally sensitive care which in turn, positively impacts the patient and their care. It is also essential for the nurse to comprehend the stress and anxiety that the patient is experiencing as a result of a culture shock. The patient’s well-being should be at the center of nursing considerations and the provision and understanding of culturally sensitive care is a necessary skill that all nurses must possess.