Summary of Article
The article “Standards of Practice for Culturally Competent Nursing Care: 2011 Update” offers 12 standards that can support the cultural competencies of many nurses. The presented principles focus on the rights of human beings regardless of their cultural backgrounds. The authors believe that there are political, cultural, and social differences in every community. That being the case, the authors present powerful standards that can encourage many healthcare professionals to offer quality care (Douglas et al., 2011). The first standard is social justice. The main purpose of nursing is to support the health needs of diverse populations. The concept of critical reflection is relevant because it improves the beliefs, values, and heritages of caregivers. Nurses should always embrace and support the cultural values of every targeted population.
Medical practitioners should also use cross-cultural concepts and skills. The other “standard is patient empowerment and advocacy” (Douglas et al., 2011, p. 317). Nurses should consider the cultural beliefs of their patients whenever providing quality care. They should also create multicultural workforces. Cross-cultural communication is critical towards promoting the best practices. Nurses should use the best communications skills in order to support the beliefs, perceptions, and values of their patients. According to Douglas et al., (2011, p. 326), “cross-cultural leadership can support the needs of diverse populations”. The “other standards include continued policy development and use of evidence-based practices” (Douglas et al., 2011, p. 317). These standards will eventually improve the quality of medical care.
How the Authors Contribute to the Field of Nursing
This article presents powerful concepts that can advance the field of nursing. For example, the authors present 12 powerful standards of practice that can encourage nurses to offer culturally-competent care. Some of these standards include “the use of cross-cultural, use of effective leadership, and creation of multicultural workforces” (Douglas et al., 2011, p. 318). The authors also present powerful insights that can improve the quality nursing. For example, nurses should engage in lifelong learning. They should also “use evidence-based practices” (Douglas et al., 2011, p. 319). Nurses should therefore undertake more researches in order to offer culturally-sensitive care. Healthcare professionals should consider the applicability and appropriateness of these 12 principles.
Analysis of the Article
The central theme of this article is that nurses can use specific standards in order to offer culturally-sensitive medical care. Medical practitioners should provide quality care. This theme is agreeable because “quality healthcare is a fundamental human right” (Jeffreys, 2008, p. 38). The article targets doctors, nurses, medical researchers, curriculum developers, and academicians. The main conclusion is that culturally-competent care is possible when nurses embrace the above standards. The article does not have any identifiable weakness. The authors have produced meaningful discussions using a powerful study approach.
The above 12 standards can produce quality practices. Such practices can transform the nature of medical care. Researchers should use these arguments in order to improve every nursing standard (Jeffreys, 2008). Future studies should present new findings that can deal with different health challenges. This article identifies a number of problems in nursing. For instance, the work explores the challenges affecting many nurses. It goes further to identify a wide range of practices that are applicable in every community. Many nurses have failed to offer culturally-sensitive care. The purpose of the article is to ensure such nurses embrace the power of cultural competence. This strategy will support the health needs of many families, patients, and populations.
Reference List
Douglas, M., Pierce, J., Rosenkoetter, M., Pacquiao, D., Callister, L., Hattar-Pollara, M.,…Purnell, L. (2011). Standards of Practice for Culturally Competent Nursing Care: 2011 Update. Journal of Trans-cultural Nursing, 22(4), 317-333.
Jeffreys, M. (2008). Dynamics of Diversity: Becoming Better Nurses through Diversity Awareness. NSNA Imprint, 1(1), 37-41.
