Cultural Competence in Nursing Care: Looking Beyond Practice.

Abstract

I t is a common adage that one should practice what he/ she preaches, which brings to mind a time when ethical standards were intertwined with every facet of daily life, including the workplace, social gatherings, and educational settings. The moral standard was held to such a lofty level that it eventually evolved into the standard by which people conducted their lives throughout the 1970s and beyond. Things are different now that we are in the 21st century, and the importance that was formerly attached to morals and decorum is progressively disappearing. Understanding the ethical issues that govern the practice of nursing and having the ability to critically discern the things that come a person's way during care intervention are 2 examples of the standards of behavior that are expected from nurses in the workplace. According to Murphy and Kaihlanen et al, the relevance of cultural competence in nursing has never been as vital as it is today. This is especially true in light of the globalization of the nursing profession. The nurse is able to acknowledge, relate to, and interact in an acceptable and successful manner with the patient, as well as other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and the patient's family, when they have cultural awareness. This helps the nurse create relationships with patients. The capacity to embrace cultural competency will boost a nurse's ability to better understand diversity and steer behaviors that may be regarded as being prejudiced. As a result, this will improve nursing and patient relationships, thus protecting the safety of patients. This will increase care concordance and adherence while reducing the number of errors that occur during intervention. Cultural competence is the ability of a nurse to provide the best care intervention to a patient, while at the same time demonstrating an awareness of ethical