Question

Why is self-knowledge and understanding a critical step in achieving cultural competence?

How has the “cultural self-assessment” exercise influenced your awareness of personal and professional values, attitudes, and practices, including prejudices and biases?

How will your interactions with patients and families change as a result of this self-reflection?

Answer 1

1). Cultural competence is an ability of nurses to render safe and quality healthcare to clients from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. This requires the integration and application of detailed knowledge and awareness into appropriate interventions that meet the healthcare requirements of culturally diverse populations. Today’s team-oriented health-care services particularly demand the application of theories of cultural competence. According to the Purnell Model of Cultural Competence is a conscious process in which, a culturally competent health care professional becomes aware of his or her existence, views, personal thoughts and the environment without allowing these factors to influence those for whom care is provided. Finally, understanding the client’s unique cultural beliefs will be helpful in achieving client-focused and satisfactory health care service. Providing culturally competent care requires the higher level refinement of cognitive and psychomotor skills and personal beliefs. It is important to identify the fact that each individual is culturally unique and is a product of experiences in their life, norms of the society in which they live and cultural beliefs. Although the racial and cultural groups show huge diversity, knowing the baseline data of a particular cultural or racial group provides a meaningful basis to render culturally competent care. Irrespective of the level of care, i.e. primary, secondary or tertiary, a nurse can plan and implement an appropriate patient-specific intervention in a variety of clinical settings if they have knowledge of culturally relevant information.