Culture Evaluation: A View into Heritage
With the United States continuing to grow, both in population and with views on healthcare, so does the need for continuous change and development in Nursing. The changing demographics and economics of a growing multicultural world and the long-standing disparities in the
Health status of people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds has challenged health care providers to consider cultural competence as a priority (Capinha-Bacote, 2002). Patients within the hospitals are of every ethnic group and culture, and at times a mix of each. The term melting pot is used to describe the United States, which also has a tight relation to healthcare as well. For nurses, it is vital to maintain a sense of professionalism and unbiased opinions. Within the culture evaluation, a comparison of beliefs about health maintenance, protection, and restoration will be investigated amongst Asian-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic cultures.
Cultural Competence Within such an eclectic amount of cultures, keeping cultural awareness, knowledge, skill, and the way culture is encountered maintains the ability to be culturally competent. Cultural awareness is the self examination and in depth exploration of one’s own cultural and professional background (Capinha-Bacote, 2002). Maintaining a sense of empathy and understanding regarding patient’s culture and beliefs assists in the individuals healing process. Cultural knowledge is the process of seeking and obtaining a sound education foundation about diverse cultural and ethnic groups (Capinha-Bacote, 2002). As healthcare officials, maintaining a solid foundation of knowledge pertaining to health, as well as sociological studies assists in approach and delivery of care. Cultural skill is the ability to collect relevant cultural data regarding the clients presenting problem as well as accurately