Nursing Reflection: Importance of Cultural Competence in Care Provision

Running head: NURSING REFLECTION 1
Nursing reflection
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NURSING REFLECTION 2
Introduction
The assignment aims to reflect the importance of cultural competence in regards to care
provision for the patient. The use of Rolfe (2002) Reflective Model is made to understand the
ways how my personal perception, values and cultural belief can shape my outlook and even the
provision of care for an individual. The assignment additionally makes use of an incident based
on clinical settings for ensuring better health outcome of the patient. Towards the end of the
assignment, a suitable intervention for treatment after highlighting the scope of the assignment is
carried out as per the demands of cultural competence
What?
During one of my shifts, I was subjected to care for an Aboriginal man, Mr. Boulia. Mr,
Boulia was 50-year-old, complaining of chest pain and breathlessness. He was brought as a
medical emergency, with previous medical history of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. On
further analysis it was found that Mr. Boulia was a heavy smoker and used illicit drugs, staying
with his wife only. His wife complained, despite of several range of commodities, Mr. Boulia
made two visits to the doctor in a year. He was taken into the emergency unit for administering
the right intervention. I realised that Mr Boulia is not aware enough of his health condition. The
fact he neglects his doctor visits and consumes drugs makes him appear as a careless individual.
Mr. Boulia was scared upon arriving to the hospital and thought he would die. The
feeling of intense loneliness despite being surrounded with unfamiliar faces can be termed as a
matter of concern for the patient (Dressler, Becker, Kawalilak & Arthur, 2018). I instantly
pictured myself upon a hospital bed staring towards the ceiling, craving for a familiar touch.
When a person is in good health they tend to overlook the fact how deserted they can be when

NURSING REFLECTION 3
they are subjected to degrading health conditions. In case of Mr. Boulia, the unbearable chest
pain and the breathlessness creates a sense of fear and even loneliness that can be overwhelming.
In alignment to the mentioned instance, it can be fairly stated human to human interaction is of
prime importance. Mr. Boulia had his wife and no kids to take care. He lacked the exposure to
social inclusion that made him prone to chronic conditions. The lack of cultural competence in
regards to nursing care can be termed as one of the prime issues in regards to the mentioned case
study (Flo et al. 2016)
So what?
Initially, I was disturbed by the fact that Mr. Boulia exhibited no care towards his health.
However, as per the NMBA standard, it is important to provide the right quality of care for the
patient; without judging their socio-economic background. Thus, I worked on understanding the
possible causes that lead to poor health outcomes in Mr. Boulia. I did hear from my uncle that
Aboriginals were often rendered homeless that made them resort to unfair lifestyle. I perceived
that Mr. Boulia was subjected to similar situations that lead him to opt for drugs.
On further analysis, I realised the fact that Aboriginals are often subjected to series of
healthcare related issues due to prevailing cultural differences. As pointed out by Pauly et al.
(2015), the events of colonisations often kept the Aboriginals aloof from the general population.
The provision of medical and care facilities had always been on the higher costs; more than they
can actually afford. However, Holland (2017), pointed out the fact, healthcare facilities for
Aboriginal individuals improved a lot. Nevertheless, the thing that lacks right now is clear
cultural competence. I realised Mr. Boulia had no knowledge about his health condition and I
planned to treat him no differently than my other patients and provide him quality care. After