Introduction
As nursing focuses on helping people with various physical and mental issues, it should pay attention to social justice and fairness. People with different cultural and social backgrounds come to nurses, and they all need help equally; it is fair that all of them can access medical help. However, various barriers, from cultural differences to social issues, lead to disparities and misunderstandings.
People from other cultures may have different expectations, so it is essential that nurses can understand their patients. If the medical care access of some cultural or social group is limited, it becomes a significant problem for all its representatives. As one will see, patient-centered practice and cultural literacy are essential elements connected with social justice, which can help deliver quality medical care to various cultures and social groups.
Cultural Diversity and Various Attitudes
People of various cultures can have different attitudes towards medical care, and actions that seem suitable for one culture may be inappropriate for another. Along with them, there may be other actions that a representative of this culture expects from a nurse. A good example is touching, which is required for many nursing practices to understand what is wrong with the patient’s body (Pullen, 2014). Many cultures, predominantly Jewish and Arabic, are susceptible to this, especially if a patient and a nurse are of different sexes (Pullen, 2014). In addition, there can be language barriers, and even if a patient knows English, they can understand words’ meanings differently.
It is essential to ensure that patients with various cultural and social backgrounds will feel comfortable during the appointment and care. In other cases, a misunderstanding can decrease the quality of care or even lead to conflict. Representatives of other cultures may have limited access to healthcare due to various barriers or financial problems, which should also be counted (Narayan, 2022). Equal access, comfort, support, and mutual understanding are the basis of patient-centered care, so they can help with that (O’Neill, 2022). Therefore, social justice includes cultural awareness, mutual respect, and health equity, all elements of patient-centered care.
Patient-Centered Healthcare and Social Justice
Patient-centered care means ensuring nurses consider all aspects of a patient’s health and well-being. Culture-sensitive and patient-centered care includes three principles: building trustful relationships with patients, educating them and their caregivers, and using a holistic approach based on their conditions (Narayan, 2022). Other essential elements include understanding and respecting their values, supporting them, educating them about their condition, and involving their families and relatives (O’Neill, 2022).
If a nurse can understand a patient’s cultural background and troubles, they can see how they can help a patient. During my practice, I have patients with various cultural backgrounds, such as Asian and Latin American, and I found that establishing proper communication is the first step to avoiding conflicts and harm. When we have a connection, I fully understand the patient’s condition and see how I can help them recover, considering all their cultural and social peculiarities.
Barriers
The foremost barrier to successful intercultural care is a lack of knowledge about intercultural communication. To overcome this barrier, nurses should first understand their cultural background to understand why they react in a certain way and how they can interact with representatives of other cultures (Pullen, 2014). There are many books and manuals about intercultural communication, so becoming familiar with them may help overcome this barrier.
Another barrier may be health inequalities among populations with various cultural backgrounds. Access to care is an essential element of patient-centered care, and while it is not always possible to ensure equal access, a nurse can at least use all available resources and contacts to ensure this (O’Neill, 2022). Various cultural and racial minorities often have a lower quality of life due to their inability to integrate into society successfully. Therefore, they may have limited access and may require help.
Lastly, even when the previous two points do not cause problems, each case can have misunderstandings. For example, a language barrier may be a serious issue in delivering medical care (Pullen, 2014). If a nurse knows at least some words of the patient’s language, it can help; if not, only body language and gestures will improve the situation. Building trustful relationships with each patient is essential to overcoming such barriers.
Recommendations
The list below includes some recommendations for nurses to ensure that all people of various cultural and social backgrounds obtain equal access to medical help.
- Improve cultural literacy to understand how various cultures perceive language, gestures, touching, and other essential aspects of interactions.
- To reduce stress and increase awareness, build trustful relationships based on respect for the patient.
- Incorporate patient-centered practices based on support, understanding, and equality to ensure that all patients will obtain help, including those who may be limited in their access.
Conclusion
Cultural differences, a lack of knowledge, various expectations, language barriers, and social disparities are serious challenges in providing quality and equal medical health care for people. While a lack of knowledge can be easily overcome, other barriers, such as health inequalities, are trickier. Still, if medical care is based on trusting and supportive patient-centered relationships, the situation will be improved. Therefore, the nurse must have cultural literacy, establish good connections with patients, and ensure equal access to care.
References
Narayan, M. C. (2022). Caring for diverse patient populations in their homes. American Nurse. Web.
O’Neill, N. (2022). The eight principles of patient-centered care. Oneview Healthcare. Web.
Pullen, R. L. (2014). Communicating with patients from different cultures. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 12(6), 6–8. Web.