What is cultural competence & how will it enhance health care delivery to Aboriginal populations?

The nurse-patient relationship is one which can already be described as reflective of an uneven power dynamic in which the patient feels subjugated to the nurse, as the nurse possesses “more authority and influence in the health care system” (CNO, 2006, p. 4). When one adds cultural complexities into the mix, the dynamic can be said to be even more uneven. However, with proper acknowledgement of cultural complexities, cultural knowledge, and cognizance of the necessity to be competent in this realm can help greatly improve healthcare practice for both practitioner and patient.

The implementation of cultural competence through healthcare practices involves being able to recognize and respect the differences in values and beliefs between yourself, the health care provider, and the patient (Brunett & Shingles, 2018, p. 284). Furthermore, a health care provider must exercise an effort to alter care practices so that they align with the patient’s values and beliefs (Brunett & Shingles, 2018, p. 284).   (Excerpt from, “An Exploration of the Consequences of Opposing Views in the Nurse Patient-Relationship” By Nasrin Frotan.)     

Culturally competent care which entails exploration into the, “cultural, emotional, historical and spiritual,” dimensions of Aboriginal individuals’ reality, can be deemed as greatly beneficial in that it allows for more effective delivery of healthcare (Birch, 2009, p. 24). Care that essentially does not recognize cultural sensitivities leads to a situation within which an act performed by the healthcare provider can, “diminish, demean, or disempower the cultural identity and wellbeing of an individual (LoBiondo-Wood et. al, 2018, p. 515).”

By: Nasrin Frotan

Includes excerpts from, “An Exploration of the Consequences of Opposing Views in the Nurse Patient-Relationship” By Nasrin Frotan.

College of Nurses of Ontario, (2006) Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship, Revised, The Standard of Care

Birch, J. (2009). Culturally Competent Care for Aboriginal Women: A Case for Culturally Competent Care for Aboriginal Women Giving Birth in Hospital Settings. Retrieved from https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/ijih/article/view/12323.’

Brunett, M., & Shingles, R. R. (2018). Does Having a Culturally Competent Health Care Provider Affect the Patients’ Experience or Satisfaction? A Critically Appraised Topic. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 27(3), 284–288. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2016-0123

LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Cameron, C., & Singh, M. D. (Eds.). (2018). Nursing research in Canada: Methods, critical appraisal, and utilization (4^th ed.). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Canada.