Role Of Nurse In Providing Culturally Safe Healthcare

Running head: ROLE OF NURSE IN PROVIDING CULTURALLY SAFE HEALTHCARE
Role Of Nurse In Providing Culturally Safe Healthcare
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ROLE OF NURSE IN PROVIDING CULTURALLY SAFE HEALTHCARE1
The concept of cultural safety was first initiated in New Zealand while providing
quality care for the Maori peoples, within their cultural values and norms. Cultural safety
guides the nurses to deliver and manage patient-centered care, which sustains their personal
identity as well as ensures their wellbeing.
The nurse should be able to respect and accept the values, cultural beliefs and
opinions of the patient. It helps in creating a good nurse-patient relationship which in turn,
helps the nurse to earn the trust of the patient and deliver efficient and effective patient care.
Every patient has their respective cultural background. The culture, region, ethnic rituals, and
beliefs influence the patient’s understanding of the health concept(Richardson,Yarwood &
Richardson, 2017). So the nurse should provide treatment to the patients keeping their values
and beliefs in mind. Also, they should stay non-judgemental and avoid stereotyping their
cultural and religious beliefs. This also enhances patient engagement with the nurses. The
nurses should be aware of the religious values and cultural beliefs of each patient, and adapt
themselves to ensure patient-centered care addressing the individual needs and requirements
of the patients(Usher et al, 2017). They must be aware of their own cultural identity and
recognize its impact on their professional practice, respect the person they are treating, be
empathetic and sensitive towards them. Sometimes language barriers may arise between the
patient and the nurse, which leads to misinterpretation of information, medication errors, and
misunderstandings. So the nurses should be knowledgeable, educated and trained properly
before taking care of a patient.
In conclusion, it can be said that cultural safety is an important aspect in healthcare as
it helps to provide patient-centered care, abolishing all the health disparities and enhancing