Cultural differences lead to one of the most widespread conflicts in healthcare settings since it is important to respect and promote diversity at the workplace. A conflict observed recently refers to communication between a nurse and a patient with a Hispanic background. This newly hired nurse had little awareness of providing care services for Hispanics, while the latter expect specific relationship building and attention to their needs. Grady (2014) states that the Latino culture implies close interactions, a focus on herbal remedies, and the link between religion and their health. The patient asked to assign another nurse since the current one failed to take into account her spiritual context and self-assessment based on folk medicine. This case shows that staff education is necessary to allow nurses to learn Hispanics’ care specifics.
To resolve the described conflict, I used my leadership skills and knowledge to engage both sides in the conversation. In particular, before the group communication, I discussed the positive impact of culturally competent care with the mentioned nurse and made sure that she learned its key principles. The concept of connectedness was introduced to all nurses during the team meeting to explain that patients’ backgrounds should be respected, while their cultural values should be integrated into the care process (Sobel & Metzler Sawin, 2016). The patient was also explained that her nurse was not aware and that patients are encouraged to share their cultural perspectives with care providers so that it can be easier to understand each other. In general, the cultural competence training was planned to be designed and offered to staff to reduce similar conflicts in the future, establishing connectedness and knowledge of various cultural care models.
References
Grady, A. M. (2014). Enhancing cultural competency in home care nurses caring for Hispanic/Latino patients. Home Healthcare Now, 32(1), 24-30.
Sobel, L. L., & Metzler Sawin, E. (2016). Guiding the process of culturally competent care with Hispanic patients: A grounded theory study. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(3), 226-232.