Cultural Competence Population Elderly - Article Example

Cultural Competence Population Elderly Cultural Competence Population Elderly The matter of cultural competency is often considered as one of the most important determinants of the quality of healthcare services (Jeffreys, 2010). Normally, cultural competency revolves around the capacity of the nurses to recognize and appreciate the cultural differences that affect differences in the belief systems of the patients and the manner in which these differences could be harnessed towards the objective of providing quality healthcare services (Daniels, 2004). The belief systems and cultural values of the nurse may vary significantly with that of the patient. For instance, the nurse and the patient may adopt competing interpretations about the value of a given aspect of nursing. Such rivalry in perspective often affects the manner in which the nurses perceive of some of the issues that affect the manner in which they articulate their concerns around the world. It might be argued that the over-riding objective of healthcare administrative is basically a professional process that must not be influenced by cultural aspects of either the nurse or the patients. However, research findings have established that the value of the nursing care offered at the nursing facility generally corresponds to the ability of the nursing community to adopt and embrace the cultural diversity of the patients (Jeffreys, 2010). Patients must be considered as unique in terms of their respective cultural backgrounds. They may approve or fail to approve of certain processes that take place in the discourse of nursing. It rests upon the nurses to adopt the most effective elements of cultural competency that might help in the process of adjusting the patient to the processes and environment of the nursing environment. With particular regard to the elderly as a vulnerable group, cultural competency practices must be addressed to their peculiar values and attributes. The elderly people tend to be suspicious of technological innovations and some practices that they are not accustomed to (Jeffreys, 2010). This group of patients is usually regarded for its conservative characters and a tenacity to stick to the old and tested methods of life. In many cases, this group may manifest a multiple of minor complications that require attention to details. The elderly patients may also present challenges of diet and general poor eating habits. Studies have also shown signs of dementia and poor sleeping patterns (Jeffreys, 2010). The handling of the challenges of the elderly population must begin with an understanding of their fears and concerns. The nurses should find a way of developing a communication pattern that would comfort the patients as they often tend to be reclusive in many cases (Jeffreys, 2010). Further, their treatment should entail the management of lifestyle diseases, which tend to affect them more than other age groups. Handling of the elderly should entail going beyond their medical needs to other matters of professionalism. Cultural competence defines the manner in which an organization manages the cultural relations, processes, systems and interpersonal communication towards the objective of attaining the organization’s set goals. Essentially, the matter of cultural competence revolves around the need to harmonize operations in a manner that reflects the values, traditions and philosophies. The manifestation of culture determines the distribution of power within the organization. In the usual cases, the manifestations of power may involve the nature of relationships between different processes within the organization in a way that affects the efficiency of service delivery. These relationships determine the power structures of the organization in terms of communication, response and feedback. Different kinds of organizations have evolved different kinds of cultures within which they operate. It has often been argued that the levels of competence of an organization relates to the manner in which it structures its processes to reflect the core values and concerns for which it was established. The cultural factor is one of the elements that affect the reputation of any given institution. Generally, the manifestation of culture determines that manner in which the management relates to the general clientele including the capacity to understand and meet their needs. One of the most obvious challenges that relates to the matter of cultural competence is communication (Jeffreys, 2010). The nurses must engage ways and processes that might enhance the element of communication between the two sides. The art of effective communication in a nursing institution necessarily entails an awareness of the processes and issues that relate to the system of healthcare. Such issues may have different kinds of interpretations between the nurses and the patients. For instance, the nurse may encounter patients whose cultural systems have designed them to be naturally reserved when it comes to communicating certain private matters of their lives. These matters may relate to certain personality issues or healthcare relevant discourses such as matters of sexuality. When such situations are encountered, the nurse must exercise a certain level of cultural competence by designing ways that would help to bridge the values of the patient and the requirements of the healthcare provision. Furthermore, a nurse should not attempt to enforce his or her values and professional philosophies on the patient. The most appropriate approach to matters of cultural competence usually revolves around the need to develop the most appropriate structures and systems that define some form of a balance of power between the patient and the nurse (Sagar, 2011). In usual cases, it may happen that the patients express their unwillingness to corporate in certain crucial processes due to their cultural beliefs on healthcare matters. In other cases, the patients may require that certain services be carried out in line with the cultural norms and traditions within which they have shaped their worlds view on healthcare matters. It becomes necessary for the nurses to use their cultural competency skills to obtain the cooperation of the patient. One of the groups that require the engagement of the matter of cultural competency is the African American community in the United States. Various studies have shown that certain cultural practices and values of this particular group usually expose them to various health risk factors. For instance it is common to find a higher prevalence of diabetes (Sagar, 2011; Andrews & Boyle, 2007). The major causes of this disease usually revolve around the matter of lifestyle. The cultural practices of this vulnerable group often entail the adoption of certain diet practices that affect their statuses of health. As such, all forms of intervention for this particular group should be based on the need to reverse some of the hazardous health practices that increase the prevalence of diabetes to the group. This must involve an appreciation of the differences that may exist between the nurse and the patients in order to effectively inculcate them into an awareness of the value of healthy diet practices. Towards such objectives, it becomes necessary for the groups to engage processes and systems that essentially promote the practices of cultural diversity in the relationship between the nurses and the patients. The systems must be structured in such a way that promotes the practices of cultural diversity within their systems. As a result it becomes important to carry out processes and systems that seek to entrench these practices within the framework and policies of the healthcare institutions. Practices have often indicated that matters of cultural practices require the application of multiple dimensions in order to effectively capture their diverse elements (Sagar, 2011). This would require the application of certain processes that harmonize the processes of healthcare provision with the cultural world view of the patients. Surveys conducted on the impact of cultural competency on the delivery of services have established that the level of application of the various practices of cultural competency have a direct bearing on the quality of healthcare (Sagar, 2011). Studies have found out positive associations between cultural competency and the levels of patient satisfaction (Jeffreys, 2010). In the world of nursing, the satisfaction of patients to the healthcare process usually determines the kind of responses to the treatment processes. Cultural competency cultivates a positive climate that promotes healthy communication between the care givers and the patients. The results of such systems are often felt at the levels of quick recoveries and reduced rates of readmissions. Other studies have associated the element of cultural competency to reduced levels of mortality among the patients. Cultural competency often determines the manner in which the nursing community approaches their professionalism. It is usually considered as an important aspect of the nature of skill and professionalism in the nursing community. In many cases the ability of the nurses to engage appropriately with different nursing environments usually distinguishes them on the score of proficiency. One of the major factors of professional competency relates to the ability of the nurse to effectively mediate between the world of the patient and the professional requirements of nurse. In many cases, this task requires that application of the most appropriate approaches that would reconcile the two worlds between the professional practice of the care givers and the patients’ peculiar world views. One of the other important considerations that apply within the discourse of cultural competency is the matter of power relations. Naturally, the patients are often regarded as powerless and dependent on the power of the nurses for their healing and well-being (Andrews & Boyle, 2007).The matter of cultural competency ties into this aspect in the sense that some patients may not be willing to subjected to such kinds of power structures. The hierarchical nature of power between the nurses and the patients may affect the composure of some patients whose cultural backgrounds may defy such structures. Some of the solutions that might apply in places that fail to meet the required standards of nursing would entail the incorporation of systems that enforce a sense of effective communication between the nurses and the patients. Such communication should have the effect of enhancing some sense of harmony between the various cultures that interact within the healthcare institution. On their own, nurses should cultivate an awareness of the fact that healthcare institution attracts people of various cultural backgrounds. They should also awaken to the fact that an understanding of the cultural factors of the patients determines the levels of efficiency of the nursing process. Cultural competency is one of the factors that are considered when making diagnoses (Andrews & Boyle, 2007). It is possible for nurses to gain important insights into the lives of the nurses by engaging appropriately with the cultural backgrounds of the nurses. All forms of reality are culturally and environmentally determined. This implies that an awareness of the cultural aspects and practices of the patients might provide resourceful clues to the background of the patients’ cases in order to develop useful and resourceful diagnoses. Therefore, it should be a professional initiative for the nurses to cultivate interest in cultural matters in order to expand their comprehension of the interplay between culture and the provision of health care services. Other studies have suggested an expansion in the curricula training for the nurses in order to anchor special packages on cultural competency within the system (Andrews & Boyle, 2007). Such arguments are based on the changing nature of the patient populations due to increased mobility as a result of globalization and improvement in the transport and communication systems, which have increased connectivity between places that were geographically separated. Countries and cities have become increasingly cosmopolitan due to the mixing of cultures. It might be necessary, as argued by some scholars, to institute special programs and refresher courses that could enhance the understanding and appreciation of cultural competence within the discourse of nursing. References Andrews, M., M. & Boyle, J., S. (2007). Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Daniels, R. (2004). Nursing Fundamentals: Caring & Clinical Decision Making. London: Cengage Learning. Jeffreys, M., R. (2010). Teaching Cultural Competence in Nursing and Health Care: Inquiry, Action, and Innovation. New York: Springer Publishing Company. Sagar, P., L. (2011). Transcultural Nursing Theory and Models: Application in Nursing Education, Practice, and Adminstration. New York: Springer Publishing. Read More