Culture and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion
Running head: CULTURE AND CULTURAL COMPETENCY IN HEALTH PROMOTIO
Culture and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion
Grand Canyon University
Family Centered Health Promotion
NRS-429V
Renita Holmes
May 17, 2012
Culture and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion
In nursing school, nurses are trained to value and understand individuals from many different cultures, maintaining the rights and dignity of each individual. In today’s society, nurses are responsible for interacting and caring for individuals from cultures of every kind. That being said, cultural competence in nursing is essential to providing quality care to patients. Cultural competence is “the ability to provide effective care for clients who come from different cultures” (Anderson, 2012). To be culturally competent, nurses must recognize their own beliefs, as well as those of the patient, evading stereotyping and misapplication of scientific information. Cultural competence entails obtaining cultural information and then applying that knowledge (Cultural Diversity in Nursing, 2012). Cultural competence requires the nurse to be sensitive to patient’s cultural needs and provide effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal. The purpose of this paper is to discuss culture and cultural competency in health promotion, focusing on using a heritage assessment tool and interviewing individuals from three different cultural backgrounds to compare the differences in health traditions between these cultures.
Heritage Assessment Tool
The use of a heritage assessment tool is helpful in collecting data from patients to get a better understanding of their culture and cultural needs. Utilizing a heritage assessment tool may help the nurse to identify and understand the needs of a patient as a whole. By identifying the patient’s needs, the nurse gains insight in helping develop a plan of care that is most beneficial for any specific patient (de la Torre & Mason, 2000, p. 5). A portion of the heritage
Culture and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion
Grand Canyon University
Family Centered Health Promotion
NRS-429V
Renita Holmes
May 17, 2012
Culture and Cultural Competency in Health Promotion
In nursing school, nurses are trained to value and understand individuals from many different cultures, maintaining the rights and dignity of each individual. In today’s society, nurses are responsible for interacting and caring for individuals from cultures of every kind. That being said, cultural competence in nursing is essential to providing quality care to patients. Cultural competence is “the ability to provide effective care for clients who come from different cultures” (Anderson, 2012). To be culturally competent, nurses must recognize their own beliefs, as well as those of the patient, evading stereotyping and misapplication of scientific information. Cultural competence entails obtaining cultural information and then applying that knowledge (Cultural Diversity in Nursing, 2012). Cultural competence requires the nurse to be sensitive to patient’s cultural needs and provide effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal. The purpose of this paper is to discuss culture and cultural competency in health promotion, focusing on using a heritage assessment tool and interviewing individuals from three different cultural backgrounds to compare the differences in health traditions between these cultures.
Heritage Assessment Tool
The use of a heritage assessment tool is helpful in collecting data from patients to get a better understanding of their culture and cultural needs. Utilizing a heritage assessment tool may help the nurse to identify and understand the needs of a patient as a whole. By identifying the patient’s needs, the nurse gains insight in helping develop a plan of care that is most beneficial for any specific patient (de la Torre & Mason, 2000, p. 5). A portion of the heritage
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