Knowledge of Cultures

Abstract

Nurses, as well as all healthcare providers, have a mandate to become knowledgeable of patients’ health beliefs and values in order to provide culturally congruent care. Nurses should discover the beliefs and values of the patients’ cultures in a way that does not devalue their varying cultural patterns but affirms respect for them. The knowledge base peculiar to cultural competency and culturally congruent health and healthcare represents a significant paradigm shift toward concepts and language that embrace a level of competency beyond mere awareness. The attainment of cultural competence is an important prerequisite for effective care to reduce health and healthcare disparities among vulnerable individuals and groups. Quality cultural congruent care may start with awareness, knowledge, and skills relative to cultural competency, but it must also focus on creating culturally competent organizations and services through organizational responsiveness. This chapter addresses essential knowledge required for providing evidence-based culturally congruent nursing care. Cultural and anthropological concepts as well as the variant characteristics of culture are included. Recommendations for clinical practice, administration, education, and research are included.

Guideline: Nurses shall gain an understanding of the perspectives, traditions, values, practices, and family systems of culturally diverse families, communities, and populations they care for, as well as knowledge of the complex variables that affect the achievement of health and well-being.

Douglas et al. (2014: 110)