Running head: ADVOCACY AND ITS ROLE IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY 1

Advocacy and Its Role in Cultural Diversity

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ADVOCACY AND ITS ROLE IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY 2

Advocacy and Its Role in Cultural Diversity

In my nursing practice, I have encountered numerous ethical dilemmas, which have in

turn shaped by perspective while interacting with individuals from different cultural

backgrounds. There is this one ethical dilemma that remains stuck in my head until today based

on how it pushed me to develop cultural competence. I was once treating a middle-aged patient

who only spoke her native language and was unable to understand or speak English. Due to the

language barrier, I opted to seek for a translator to help us with the communication to ensure that

the patient received quality treatment. However, it was difficult finding a person who spoke her

language given that she came from a small African community.

During the search for a translator, the patient became very impatient and angry and she

started shouting at me and other staff while sitting on the hospital bed. I tried to calm her down

by rubbing her back and hand because it was rather impossible to communicate. However, the

situation got out of hand when she started throwing things at me because she was frustrated that I

was not able to help. I got angered by her actions as well since I tried so hard to no avail and I

decided to just stand at a distance silently watching her take out her anger. I realized that this was

wrong because it only made the situation worse. After all, she thought I was doing nothing to

help. Soon the translator entered into the room and I felt a bit relieved. With the help of the

translator, we were able to communicate and the patient shocks my hand and apologized. I

apologized to her as well citing that I was wrong and I ought to have understood her situation

and desperation.

The event was an eye-opener for me because I realized how cultural diversity can affect

individuals’ behaviors, perceptions, and beliefs. Throughout the period I realized that the patient

was trying to tell me about her fear for needles and that is why she was rejecting the treatment.
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The patient stated that in her homeland she had witnessed how individuals lost their limbs and

some even died because of injections that were administered wrongly. Also, her cultural beliefs

discouraged the use of injections as unnecessary and a form of evil. Communication was

ineffective because none of us would understand the other and this caused anxiety for both of us

which created an emotional tragedy. Even though we were able to resolve the problem by

bringing in a translator, the problem would have been addressed in a much better manner earlier

on. I realized that throughout the treatment the translator should have been present to ease the

communication and to ensure that both parties were in agreement about the treatment. Such an

incident is avoidable by ensuring that one goes through the patient’s file to gather any important

information that might inform about the cultural differences of the medical preferences of the

patient (Breton, Francescutti & Al-Weshahi, 2018). However, I failed to research the patient’s

personal information. Besides, I would have researched the patient’s culture as a way of

understanding her grievances and in return becoming a culturally competent nurse.

The patient was justified to feel frustrated because medical professionals are obligated to

provide help to all their patients irrespective of their cultural differences. However, this was

never the case because our differences overwhelmed me and this affected my judgment.

Emotional control is an important aspect for every healthcare professional since one is supposed

to manage his or her expressions and emotions when dealing with patients and colleagues. The

approach helps in building and maintaining positive relationships which are vital in delivering

high-quality care in general. Cultural competence is an important skill for nurses because it helps

them in understanding the expectation as well as the beliefs that are held by the patients (Wong-

Rieger, 2017). With cultural competence, a nurse might not judge the patients for holding

different beliefs but rather try to accommodate them into the care service (Pacquiao, 2003).
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According to Breton, Francescutti & Al-Weshahi (2018), the language barrier is one of

the main issues that are experienced by nurses on a day to day basis and it might adversely affect

patient safety, outcome and the quality of care. A barrier in communication affects the ability to

understand the needs of the patient as well as recognize important cultural differences that might

affect care delivery. I judged my patient as rather impatient but she proved to be quite the

opposite in a situation when her needs and interests are known and respected. At first, it appeared

as though her beliefs were being rejected and this is what made her frustrated. On the contrary, I

was unable to make suitable decisions on how to handle the patient because I did not understand

any of her concerns due to our language differences. According to Nair & Adetayo (2019),

recognizing cultural diversity does not necessarily entail giving patient specialized care but it is

all about showing respect and recognition for the differences. In other words, it is important to let

patients know that their differences matter as well as convince them of why the prescribed

treatment is important and is not intended to demean the existing beliefs. The approach is crucial

as it helps in gaining a better understanding of the needs of every patient while at the same time

forecasting challenges that might arise as a result of the cultural differences and creating

solutions in advance. Thus, nurses should be guided by the need to offer the best care to patients

by ensuring that they are culturally competent as this skill enables them to successfully meet the

different needs of their patients without any conflict.

Cultural competence is not something that can be achieved in a single day because it

requires extensive guidance and training (Young & Guo, 2016). Nurses should, therefore, be

willing to ask for assistance from their colleagues when necessary to avoid making their patients

frustrated. Also, this strategy can be effective in minimizing such conflicts and in return helping

them in building positive and trustworthy relationships with their clients. Achieving the desired
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care goals requires collaboration between nurses, patients and other healthcare professions

(Reinsel & Andrews, N.D).

In conclusion, ethical dilemmas due to cultural differences are a common occurrence in

the nursing practice. The language barrier is one of the factors that might affect how care is

delivered to culturally diverse patients. Therefore, in such cases, the nurses must ensure that they

align their professional values and beliefs towards serving and meeting the needs of the patients.

Becoming a culturally competent nurse requires one to rely on collaborative working with

colleagues and patients as well which helps in delivering culturally sensitive care to all patients,

hence promoting their overall well-being.

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References

Breton, J., Francescutti, L. H., & Al-Weshahi, Y. (2018). Teaching the Role of Health Advocate:

Reflections on two cross-cultural collaborative advocacy workshops for medical trainees

and instructors in Oman. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 18(3), e286.

Maureen J. Reinsel & Margaret M. Andrews. (N.D). Nursing and Global Health. Transcultural

concepts in nursing care, 4, 465-490.

Nair, L., & Adetayo, O. A. (2019). Cultural Competence and Ethnic Diversity in Healthcare.

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 7(5).

Pacquiao, D. F. (2003). Cultural competence in ethical decision making. Transcultural concepts

in nursing care, 4, 503-532.

Wong-Rieger, D. (2017). Moving from patient advocacy to partnership: a long and bumpy road.

The Patient-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 10(3), 271-276.

Young, S., & Guo, K. L. (2016). Cultural diversity training: the necessity of cultural competence

for health care providers and in nursing practice. The health care manager, 35(2), 94-

102.