Post 5:
Nurses encounter implicit bias in their nature of work. Humans aware or unaware hold implicit bias and nurses are not spared, they often hold some type of bias towards some of their patients. It is important for the nurse to know the type of bias they have so that they will be able to correct it. It is important to acknowledge that one has a weakness (Faulkner 2018). Nurses meet people from all distinct cultural backgrounds in their daily practice. The work of a nurse is centered on the patient and their families, to give them the best care which is acceptable to their culture. Problems of culture are often the cause of the patient's threat to security. Culture can mean communication barrier between the nurse and a patient. Sometimes it is more complex when the beliefs or culture of the patient is not accepted, for example gays or lesbians who are not accepted in most African countries face challenges to access treatment, hence they fear disclosing their status. (Kaihlanen 2019). Nurses should be professionally trained in how to offer culturally competent care, following the nursing code of conduct and ethics which do not allow them to use emotional personal feelings and judgement when rendering care. Cultural dissonance is associated with cultural beliefs of individuals and nurses should take complete history upon first encounter with the patient and avoid dissonance. Knowing the culture of the patient helps to avoid bias or dissonance in case one chooses to be nursed buy different gender, which is usually mistaken for racism. For the nurses to offer a culturally competent health promotion, a thorough assessment needs to be done first, involving the patient, and studying their way of life so that it can be included in the teaching plan.
References:
Faulkner, A. (2018). Community & public health: The future of health care. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/chapter/3
Kaihlanen, A.-M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC Nursing, 18(1), N.PAG. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x
Healthcare professionals can detect bias and stereotypes in a healthcare setting by asking, listening, and observing how patients and their family members talk or behave during the delivery of healthcare services (Edgoose et al., 2019). Asking and listening technique is applicable in situations where a patient appears depressed or demoralized. In such cases, nurses can ask questions and listen to their patients explain how they feel. Some patients may appear dissatisfied when prescribed a particular medication.
Some patients go to the extent of asking whether it is a must to take that drug. Nurses should allow patients to express their opinions. In that case, the nurse will have a chance to ask questions and detect biases and stereotypes.
The primary goal of the healthcare system is to deliver quality and safe care to every patient regardless of their culture, health beliefs, and religion. Therefore, nurses should identify their patients’ health needs, preferences, and values. This knowledge will promote patients’ satisfaction. It is, therefore, paramount for nurses to learn and comprehend different cultures to facilitate the delivery of culturally competent care (Enriquez, 2020). Communication plays a significant role in the healthcare system (Cook & Brunton, 2018). Nurses should possess communication skills to communicate effectively with patients from different cultural backgrounds.
One of the strategies that can help nurses eliminate cultural dissonance is personal awareness. Nurses should conduct inward reflection that helps to identify ideas that contribute to bias (Cook & Brunton, 2018). Moreover, nurses should carry out cultural competence self-assessment to help them gauge their strengths and weaknesses when treating patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
References
Cook, C., & Brunton, M. (2018). The importance of moral emotions for effective collaboration in culturally diverse healthcare teams. Nursing inquiry, 25(2), e12214.
Edgoose, J. Y., Quiogue, M., & Sidhar, K. (2019). How to identify, understand, and unlearn implicit bias in patient care. Family practice management, 26(4), 29-33. https://www.aafp.org/fpm/2019/0700/p29.html
Enriquez, U. (2020). Embracing a New Culture. Fast Facts for Making the Most of Your Career in Nursing, 151.