Summary: Cultural Competence

Cultural Competence is important for many reasons. First, it can help develop culturally sensitive practices which can in turn help reduce barriers that affect treatment in health care settings. Second, it can help build understanding, which is critical in competence, in order wards knowing whom the person

To better understand culturally inclusive care the hospital provides, nursing and healthcare practices and policies were identified and examined. An initiative was taken by the hospital in launching an Aboriginal Health Strategy that was designed to further help establish bridges and develop a culturally safe environment for local aboriginal communities on 8 of July 2015 (God, 2015). A major benefit of the program included recruitment of 30 Aboriginal staff, which corresponds to about 4% of the health care facility 's personnel to make certain culturally assured care for Aboriginal patients was achieved (God, 2015).

Cultural competence is focused on learned behaviors and actions and can be pertain and individual, organization or policy (Oelke, Thurston, & Arthur, 2013). Ideally, a healthcare providers’ practice would only be influenced by the individual patient and/or the community of which the patient resides. But in reality, the healthcare providers’ practice and care is influenced by many entities, such as the

Cultural Competency is often defined as a set of consistent behaviours, policies, and attitudes, which all interrelate in an agency, system, or even among professionals. These behaviours, policies, and attitudes all allow systems and professionals to efficiently work in cross-cultural situations (Cross et al 1989, as cited in Commonwealth of Australia, 2006). As Australia is a multicultural country individuals within the population are encouraged to have different values. By incorporating culture while providing health care services, its objective is to improve health and wellbeing. Certain characteristics from healthcare workers and the health care system are required in order for the services to be qualified as ‘culturally competent’.

The increasing population of immigrants in the United States has contributed to health disparities in the health care system. Cultural competence can remove health disparities by eliminating personal biases, and treating every person with respect. Simply recognizing and accepting different cultures is not enough, one must be able to consistently recognize and understand the differences in order to be culturally competent. Knowledge and culturally competent practices are a must for nurses to deliver quality care in our rapidly changing multicultural world (Edelman, 2014 p. 25).

Critically analyse one of the main challenges, barriers, and enablers for cultural competence in health care when working in a cross-cultural environment.

The outcome of cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity is cultural safety (Berg, 2010). In practicing cultural safety, it is not really expected that health care workers will know all cultures; it is acknowledging and respecting people regardless of their differences and beliefs (Hughes & Farrow, 2006). Moreover, nurses and other health professionals create cultural safe practice when the patients feel safe, respected and understood (Skellet, 2012), as well as if there is a shared understanding and acknowledgement of the unique identity and diversity. Health workers should always consider the cultural and historical background of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, because practicing cultural safety is significant to

After finished the module of “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Awareness,” I feel that cultural awareness may be a solution to many Australian aboriginal health care problems. In this reflection, I am going to explain how cultural awareness help to overcome communication difficulties between Australian indigenous people and health care workers, as an

I have learned that it is important that educators  and health providers be trained on cultural competency to understand the population they are serving. Marks, Sims, and Osher (King, Sims, & Osher, n.d.) define cultural competency  as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations" ( as cited in Cross et al., 1989; Isaacs & Benjamin, 1991). Health providers and educators should investigate demographic patterns or trends in the place where they live and work. This brings awareness of the types of cultures that they might come across when they are working with people. Organizations should integrate and implement policies that promote the value of  diversity, self-assessment, manage the dynamics of difference, acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge, and adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of communities they serve (Georgetown  University, 2004). Georgetown University (2004) also stresses that culture competency grows gradually and is always open for improvement.

The cultural competence effect does negatively influence the care a patient receives which definitely leads to health disparities. Though there is a lot of significant technological advances in health care, which has brought up quicker and effective ways to diagnose and treat most of the acute and chronic diseases, it is unfortunate that the people from minorities families tend to receive lower quality of care compared to the non-minorities. Therefore, this leads to the vulnerable population dying from chronic diseases that could have been prevented if quality care was provided in the first place. Part

Cultural competence is a critical instrument for any government since it indicates the users and information and the relevant terms and concept. Particularly in the federal government who mandates the delivery of culturally competent health care to these communities, and health services in a culturally appropriate way. Therefore, the concept of diversity now includes cultural diversity or different cultures with diverse features. For this reason, the importance of such research into these areas deliveries of health services to immigrant and minority community incorporated into the concept of the public administration spectrum.

Adapting to different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility and a respect for others view points. Cultural competence means to really listen to the patient, to find out and learn about the patient's beliefs of health and illness. To provide culturally appropriate care we need to know and to understand culturally influenced health behaviors. However, becoming culturally competent is a much more daunting task. Culture (and ethnicity) often influences a patient’s perceptions of health and illness. Therefore, if healthcare providers appear insensitive to cultural diversity, their actions may negatively affect the quality of the healthcare that they provide.

Globalization is a comprehensive and multi-faceted process, affecting economic, cultural, ecological and social aspects of life (Davis & Tschudin, 2008). The international migration of people lies at the core of this on going process, and as a result the UK’s population is growing at its fastest rate, whilst becoming increasingly diverse and mobile (Dunnell, 2007). The super-diverse population is also not stable and continues to change as a response to capital and global conflict (Phillimore, 2011). Consequently, cultural competence has emerged in order to understand health practices that are unfamiliar; ignoring diversity and providing incongruent nursing care can affect patient outcomes and jeopardize safety, thus Jeffrey’s (2008) suggests

This essay will portrait on the relationship between culture and health which can impact as well as influence and promote health care policy to the Australian health care system. It will reflect the empathetic of each other culture and beliefs addressing on Australian diverse population and principles of primary health care. It will also outline comprehensive conceptions such as health and illness and their associated causes, known as determinants of health, highlighting the increasing contribution of nursing to global health. To support to this essay, it will referring to the cultural competency workshop class held at University of South Australia (2016) related to Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and culture.

Australia is a country that cultural pluralism is legally accepted and several linguistically diversified communities living as one nation. Therefore culturally competent and linguistically diversified health care workforce is a key factor to determine patient outcome, to enhance patient compliance and to reduce health disparities in addition to the quality of services and systems available in the country. Even though multiple definitions can be seen in literature review, the definition given by for Cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) people is as English and non-English speaking communities from different cultures (Optus yes, 2015).These groups and individuals differ in their religion, race, language and ethnicity (Culturally and Linguistically diverse people, 2009).The effectiveness of the communication process of health care workforce with these multiple communities or individuals is decided by their cultural competency.