B. P.

KOIRALA INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

COLLEGE OF NURSING
DHARAN, SUNSARI, NEPAL

Assignment on culture in nursing practice

SUBMITTED TO, SUBMITTED BY,

Ms. Basant Kumar Karn Bhagwati Pandey
Additional Professor M. Sc. Nursing, 1st Year
Department of Child Health Nursing Community Health Nursing
College of Nursing, BPKIHS College of Nursing, BPKIHS
How you incorporate cultural belief in nursing practice?
Answer

Culture is defined as the sum of all the material and spiritual values created in the process of
social development and the tools that are used to create and hand these values down to next
generations and show the extent of the man’s authority and control over their natural and social
environment. The term “culture”, which diversifies in each community and so is experienced
differently, also affects the way individuals perceive the phenomena such as health, illness,
happiness, sadness and the manner these emotions are experienced.

The term health, whose nature and meaning is highly variable across different cultures, requires
care involving cultural recognition, valuing and practice. The nursing profession, which plays an
important role in the health team, is often based on a cultural phenomenon. The cultural values,
beliefs and practices of the patient are an integral part of holistic nursing care. The aim of
nursing is to provide a wholly caring and humanistic service respecting people’s cultural values
and lifestyles. Nurses should offer an acceptable and affordable care for the individuals under the
conditions of the day. Knowing what cultural practices are done in the target communities and
identifying the cultural barriers to offering quality health care positively affects the caring
process. Nurses should explore new ways of providing cultural care in multicultural societies,
understand how culture affects health-illness definitions and build a bridge for the gap between
the caring process and the individuals in different culture.

As a Nurse we should have certain quality to provide cultural and social values in nursing
practice are:

 Having the ability to understand complex cultural dimensions,

 Assuming a holistic approach to care instead of biophysical approach,

 Showing efforts to reach rapidly increasing cultural beliefs and activities that are unique
to distinct groups and individuals

 Being able to change the idea of believing that individuals’ own race is superior to others,

 Developing communicative and scientific language skills,

 Being able to make cultural evaluations,

 Being able to deal with cultural differences in real terms and make interpretations,

 Being able to use appropriate cultural teaching techniques

 Compromising cultural beliefs and studies with the general state of provision of health
care,
  Respecting for the socio-cultural diversity of women, newborn babies and their families

There are many things as nurses we can do to provide culturally sensitive care to an increasingly
diverse nation they are:

1. Awareness

One of the most important elements emphasized in pursuit of competent cultural care is
identifying your own beliefs and culture before caring for others. According to Culture
Advantage, an organization formed to help individuals develop cross-cultural awareness and
communication skills, Caregivers are expected to be aware of their own cultural identifications in
order to control their personal biases that interfere with the therapeutic relationship. Self-
awareness involves not only examining one’s culture but also examining perceptions and
assumptions about the client’s culture.

Developing this self-awareness can bring into view the caregivers biases or culturally-imposed
beliefs. It can also shed light on oppression, racism, discrimination, and stereotyping and how
these affect nurses personally and their work.

2. Avoid Making Assumptions

It’s important that nurses avoid making assumptions about cultures they aren’t familiar with.
This can lead to a breakdown of trust and rapport between the nurse and their patient and reduce
treatment acceptance.

If we’re unsure about something, simply ask. Most people of different cultures will happily
educate a healthcare provider who is willing to listen and understand their cultural differences.
When asking questions, make sure body language communicates openness and intent to truly
hear the patient versus listening to respond.

3. Learn About Other Cultures

As a nurse, part of our responsibility is to learn about patients culture. Often, this is reduced to
their medical history, their list of medications, and their current symptoms. In reality, healthcare
only reaches its full potential when the whole patient is considered, including their family, their
day to day life, and their culture.

Think about the different cultures we’ve encountered in our healthcare career, as well as the
cultures that are within our community. Make an effort to learn about those cultures by becoming
immersed in them. Visit the area where that culture is dominant and read about the culture from
reputable books and online sources. Question any assumptions we have about cultures that are
not our own and make an effort to either prove or disprove the assumption and turn it into
knowledge.
4. Build Trust and Rapport

It’s essential for nurses to build trust with their patients, regardless of ethnic or racial
backgrounds. However, treating culturally diverse patients require a heightened level of trust to
be established, which can become even more difficult when there’s a language barrier.

Body language and eye contact become much more important, so be sure to display open and
kind body language and look the patient in the eyes when speaking to them or their family
members.

5. Overcome Language Barriers

Language barriers exacerbate all other challenges nurses face when providing care for culturally
diverse patients. To effectively communicate with a patient to ask them about their health history
or to educate them about a procedure, the language barrier must be broken in some way.

Ask your facility if a translator is available. Use pictures or hand gestures to communicate when
necessary, and remember to be patient. Language barriers are frustrating for both nurse and
patient, but our patient is at a distinct disadvantage.

6. Educate Patients about Medical Practices

It’s critical that every patient, regardless of their cultural or racial background, give informed
consent for any medical procedures. If they are unfamiliar with a medical practice, nurses often
have the job of explaining in detail why the procedure is needed and what to expect during and
after the procedure. Additionally, patients from some cultural backgrounds need further
education on how to manage at home on their own. They may need to blend new practices with
cultural traditions to maintain their health, and education is a key component of that process.

When communicating with a patient, ask them to repeat back to what we said, in their own
words. If there’s a language barrier, a translator can help. Essentially, this will help us determine
how much of what we are saying has been understood and how we might be able to change the
way we communicate to improve the patient’s understanding. Continue until reasonably
confident that the patient has enough clarity about the next step to willingly and knowingly
consent to it.

7. Practice Active Listening

Many people have a bad habit of asking a question and then listening to the answer for the sole
purpose of planning what they are going to say next — instead of actually hearing, considering,
and validating the person speaking. Active listening in the healthcare community is imperative,
especially when individuals of different racial or cultural backgrounds are involved. It’s
important that patient’s feel heard and validated, particularly when they are in a vulnerable
position.
After we ask our patient a question, take the time to really listen. Sit down with them, make eye
contact, or gently place our hand over theirs. Reassure them that we are here and ready to hear
what they have to say. If we need clarity, ask. If our patient becomes frustrated by a language
barrier, remain calm and let them know it’s okay to take their time when communicating with
nurse. Repeat back to them what they said in our own words, so they can also have confidence
that we’ve understood them.

In addition to other ethnicities and nationalities, cultural competence also applies to sexual
orientation and gender identity. When caring for patients in the community, nurses should learn
more about sexual orientation and gender identity, including key definitions, as well as potential
health risks. They should also use inclusive and gender-neutral language, and reflect the patient’s
language. For instance, avoid applying labels like “gay” because some members community do
not self-identify with any particular label.

With more than seven billion people in the world, nurses can’t possibly know all of the values
and beliefs of every culture. Instead, cultural competence should be an ongoing educational
journey in which nurses are constantly learning how to customize care for each patient.