Nurse's Role in Working with Clients of Various Cultures

Nurse’s Role in Working with Clients of Various Cultures

To provide culturally competent care, the nurse must find out as much as possible about a client’s cultural values, beliefs, and health practices. Often, the client is the best source for that information, so the nurse must ask the client what is important to him or her—for instance, “How would you like to be cared for?” or “What do you expect (or want) me to do for you?” (Andrews & Boyle, 2007). she knows about a client’s particular cultural group such as preferences for greeting, eye contact, and physical distance. Based on the client’s behavior, the nurse can alter that approach as needed. For example, if a client from a culture that does not usually shake hands offers the nurse his or her hand, the nurse should return the handshake. Variation among members of the same cultural group is wide, and the nurse must remain alert for these individual differences.

A client’s health practices and religious beliefs are other important areas to assess. The nurse can ask, “Do you fol-low any dietary preferences or restrictions?” and “How can I assist you in practicing your religious or spiritual beliefs?” The nurse also can gain an understanding of the client’s health and illness beliefs by asking, “How do you think this health problem came about?” and “What kinds of remedies have you tried at home?”

An open and objective approach to the client is essen-tial. Clients will be more likely to share personal and cul-tural information if the nurse is genuinely interested in knowing and does not appear skeptical or judgmental. The nurse should ask these same questions even to clients from his or her own cultural background. Again, people in a cultural group vary widely, so the nurse should not assume that he or she knows what a client believes or practices just because the nurse shares the same culture.