Apart from providing better opportunities for patient recovery, cultural competence in healthcare and nursing experts contributes to improved patient engagement. To assist nurses in applying approaches based on cultural competence to address diverse patients’ needs, one might recommend a combination of culture learning, overcoming the language barrier, and active listening. By incorporating the strategies above, a nurse will address key obstacles to health management and introduce evidence-based treatment strategies.
Differences in culture, perceptions, and expression represent the essential impediment to gaining information about patients and their needs. Therefore, overcoming language and culture-related barriers with active learning, listening, and nonverbal communication represents a perfect opportunity for a nurse to obtain key data and communicate essential recommendations (Foronda et al., 2018). Moreover, adopting active listening strategies and engaging in learning about a patient’s culture, a nurse will build a rapport based on trust and mutual understanding (Foronda et al., 2018). Additionally, a nurse should consider integrating innovative IT tools for maintaining communication with the target audience and offering visual information with interactive options for patient education. Identifying main information about a patient’s culture and the related philosophy, traditions, and perceptions, a nurse will also recognize key health-related misconceptions and myths that a patient might have (Foronda et al., 2018). As a result, patients’ needs will be managed accordingly, allowing a nurse to improve the patient’s well-being actively instead of merely following the do-no-harm policy.
By integrating strategies based on active learning and listening, as well as overcoming the language barrier with the help of nonverbal communication, visuals, and digital interactive tools, a nurse will be able to cater to the needs of patients from culturally diverse backgrounds. Moreover, the suggested approaches will assist in addressing some health-related misconceptions that patients may have. As a result, a nurse will facilitate patient education along with the provision of standard nursing services.
Reference
Foronda, C. L., Baptiste, D. L., Pfaff, T., Velez, R., Reinholdt, M., Sanchez, M., & Hudson, K. W. (2018). Cultural competency and cultural humility in simulation-based education: An integrative review. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 15, 42-60.
