M4 ASSIGMENT 3045

CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS 2

Culturally Competent Care of the African American

Abstract

This write-up aims to explore the strategies that can provide culturally competent care to

members of the African American community. African Americans are a minority group with

distinctive cultural practices and religious underpinnings that affect their health and wellbeing.

Given that the community constitutes over 14% of the American population, it is significant to

conceptualize their healthcare needs and address them concisely to achieve the healthcare goals

of the country. This essay begins by introducing the concept of cultural competence to highlights

what it means. Next, it provides background information on the issues by analyzing literature

that examines the barriers that impede members of the community from accessing healthcare

services adequately. Afterwards, it explores how the Giger and Davidhizar theoretical framework

can transform the nursing process to make it culturally competent and address African American

patients' needs. Finally, it summarizes the content covered throughout the report and its impact

on the nursing process.

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Introduction

Culturally competent care is the care that considers the diversity inherent in the populace.

It alludes to the situation where healthcare providers disseminate care that addresses the

differences in the socio-economic status of the patients, their diverse cultural inclinations and the

variation in the languages they speak. African Americans are one of the largest groups in the U.

S. Statistical evidence indicates that African Americans constitute over 14% of the U. S

population (Debiasi & Selleck, 2017). Investigative studies show that Black Americans

experience disparities in care due to factors inherent in the group, such as their poor economic

status, low economic levels and literacy levels. On the other hand, members of the minority

group are prone to chronic ailments such as cancerous growths, diabetes and cardiovascular

disorders; hence, they experience high mortality rates due to lack of adequate treatment (Farber,

2019). The elements affect different aspects of the lives of humanity, affecting their health and

wellbeing. This essay uses the Giger and Davidhizar transcultural theory to determine how the

strategy can provide culturally competent care to African Americans.

Background Information

According to Cuevas et al. (2017), African Americans encounter numerous impediments

that interfere with their ability to access quality care that suits their needs. Firstly, the members

of the community fear some treatment processes and procedures. Empirical evidence shows that

the community members may not be willing to participate in some treatment processes, such as

donating organs. Farber (2017) explained that some of the cultural practices adopted by the

minority group are also significant barriers that interfere with the quality of care that patients

receive. For example, individuals belonging to the minority group do not value women; hence

they do not prioritize their health needs. Subsequently, they view chronic ailments such as

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CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS 4

cancerous growths as divine occurrences or events caused by witchcraft thus cannot be cured

using conventional medicines. They seek help for such conditions from traditional doctors,

which precipitates adverse outcomes and increases the mortality rates from the ailments. The

high illiteracy level among the minority group is another significant deterrent to the delivery of

quality care.

Application of the Giger and DavidhizarTranscultural Framework in Delivering Culturally

Competent Care in African Americans

Transcultural nursing is a nursing concept that focuses on using standardized nursing

practices to provide treatment processes that are in tandem with the cultural needs of ailing

individuals. It enhances the quality of care that patients receive by capturing the unique elements

present in the cultural trends of patients (Giger & Haddad, 2020). The transcultural concept

formulated by Giger and Davidhizar is one of the key models in disseminating culturally

competent care. The nursing theory recognizes the different cultural inclinations present in

society and their impacts on providing high quality, patient-centered care. It analyzes the cultural

trends of a community under six broad phenomena.

Communication

The first element that the Giger and Davidhizar model explores when analyzing the

cultural competence of a healthcare system is communication. For the treatment process to

progress effectively there is a need for adequate contact between the healthcare providers and the

patients. The conveyance of information between the two parties can either occur verbally, non-

verbally or written down. According to Sagar and Sagar (2018), communication is one of the

significant barriers that affect the delivery of culturally competent care to African Americans.

Factors such as the language used by African Americans, the tone of their voices and the way

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CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS 5

they express themselves may interfere with the effectiveness with which they pass information.

The model outlines the strategies nurses can use to overcome the elements that impede effective

communication when handling African American patients, including listening to them

proactively. Subsequently, it also includes explaining the different processes and their

significance (Debiasi & Selleck, 2017). Further, it comprises talking to the patients extensively

to ease their fear of some medical procedures.

Space

Space alludes to the availability of an accessible environment where individuals can act

without restrictions. According to Giger and Haddad (2020), African American patients feel

more comfortable and safe if healthcare providers allow them to have personal space. While

caring for patients from this minority group, it is crucial to have private spaces for their care in a

clinical setting to be culturally competent. Healthcare providers can allow African American

patients to have personal space by keeping objects they are attached to (Cuevas et al., 2017).

Subsequently, they should be allowed to stay in a comfortable position and move freely in the

clinical setting.

Social Organization

The Giger and Davidhizar transcultural model recognizes the significance of social

underpinnings in developing individuals' traits. For example, the things that the families believe

in and the practices they uphold will determine how African Americans act in a clinical setting.

Therefore, to provide culturally competent care, nurses should be keen to deduce the cultural

inclinations of ailing people and respect them (Giger & Haddad, 2020). This will ensure that they

do not make them uncomfortable by making negative remarks about the things they value.

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Therefore, the nurses should demonstrate culturally competent care by recognizing African

American patients' values and handling them respectfully.

Time

Time is a significant element in providing culturally competent care to patients. African

Americans do not observe time adequately and are likely to be late for appointments and social

engagements. Understanding this aspect is significant in delivering care that is patient-centered

(Farber, 2019). For example, when scheduling appointments with patients in the community, it is

necessary to make the time flexible because they are likely to be late. Therefore, when handling

activities involving a group of members of the African American community, it is significant to

consider that many of the individuals are likely to be late. Therefore, it is necessary to

encapsulate activities that can keep the masses occupied while waiting for those who will arrive

late.

Environmental Control

Environmental control denotes the ability to manipulate external and internal factors to

align with their physical and mental wellbeing. For example, while caring for African

Americans, it is significant to comprehend their perceptions about the causes of ailments and

their perspectives about different treatment processes (Giger & Haddad, 2020). Nurses can help

change the environmental control of African American patients by enlightening them about

significant environmental aspects that impact their health, such as their lifestyle choices (Sagar &

Sagar, 2018). For example, it is essential to enlighten them about the necessity of exercising,

eating healthy diets and avoiding harmful habits such as excessive consumption of substances

that cause addiction such as alcohol, tobacco products and illicit drugs.

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Biological Variations

Biological variations refer to the differences in the individuals that emanate from their

genetic composition that impact the progression of the disease process. Giger and Haddad (2020)

posit that hereditary aspects determine the susceptibility of individuals to ailments. For example,

the meals of African Americans are often rich in fats and sodium. This aspect escalates their

vulnerability to various illnesses such as cardiovascular disorders, obesity, and diabetes (Debiasi

& Selleck, 2017). Therefore, for nurses to provide culturally competent care of the individuals

from the African American community, they must enlighten them about their vulnerabilities to

ailments and the practices they should embrace and those they should avoid.

Conclusion

African Americans are a distinctive group of individuals with unique healthcare needs.

Therefore, the nursing process should be transformed to align with their diverse medical needs.

The transcultural framework for providing culturally competent care is vital in deducing how the

healthcare needs of members of the African American community can be met adequately. The

model contains six significant elements that explore how different aspects can be addressed to

provide proper care for the members of the minority community whose needs are often neglected

in clinical settings. In doing so, the prevailing disparities in healthcare provisions will be

reduced, which is a significant aspect in striving to achieve the healthcare goals of the country.

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References

Cuevas, A. G., O'Brien, K., & Saha, S. (2017). What is the key to culturally competent care:

Reducing bias or cultural tailoring?. Psychology & health, 32(4), 493-507.

Debiasi, L. B., & Selleck, C. S. (2017). CULTURAL COMPETENCE TRAINING FOR

PRIMARY CARE NURSE PRACTITIONERS: AN INTERVENTION TO INCREASE

CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE. Journal of cultural diversity, 24(2).

Farber, J. E. (2019). Cultural competence of baccalaureate nurse faculty: relationship to cultural

experiences. Journal of Professional Nursing, 35(2), 81-88.

Giger, J. N., & Haddad, L. (2020). Transcultural nursing-e-book: Assessment and intervention.

Elsevier Health Sciences.

Sagar, P. L., & Sagar, D. Y. (2018). Current State of Transcultural Nursing Theories, Models,

and Approaches. Annual review of nursing research, 37(1), 25-41.

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