University Nursing Report: Cultural Competence in Mental Health

This report examines the crucial role of cultural competence in mental health nursing, particularly in ethically diverse clinical settings. It emphasizes the challenges nurses face when caring for patients with mental health issues, who may have experienced trauma or forced migration. The report highlights the importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity, using a case study of a Muslim patient as an example. It applies Leininger's Culture Care Theory to demonstrate how understanding a patient's cultural background is essential for providing effective and congruent care. The report references key literature on cultural competence in nursing, emphasizing the need for nurses to develop skills in cross-cultural communication and patient-centered care. The report stresses that the Leninger theory can help in providing care by in depth knowledge of specific cultures. This approach helps nurses establish therapeutic ways of caring for patients from different cultural backgrounds.

Cultural competence in
mental health nursing
For effective and cultural responsive service to ethically diverse clinical situation, nurses must have skills to address the patients. In mental hea
patients it is diificult to take care of such patients who are typically exposed to harsh conditions like forced migration or personal losses. Post tr
disorder and general anxiety are common mental health problems faced by nurses in mental healing (Hollamd, 2017). The lack of cultural comp
among the nures may be hindrance to providing care.
During an incident a muslim patient came to our hospital and was earlier admitted to
mental asylum. He was suffering from severe mental ailment and when found was in a
confused state. Due to language barrier it was very difficult for me to interact with him
or indulge in any dialogue. However seeing him i understood that he was suffering from
mental retardation. With use of cultural awareness and reflecting on his care from a
culture care theory I gained understanding to care for the patient. The theory helped m
to discover beliefs to care for the patient.
The Leiningers model of nursing is an effective theory that can he
establishing therapeutic ways of caring for a ethnically different p
Its knowledge help to attain the goal of congruent care for menta
and well being (Jeffreys, 2015). According to the concept, culture
crucial to help nurses develop inter relations to care for patient fr
different culture. Caring is a dynamic process that aids in underst
human behaviour and needs to be in cultural contexts. According
Leninger culture is comprehensive feature of a human being and c
must be provide to be embedded in culture. He predicted that cul
and care together are powerful theoretical constructs essential fo
being.
In the context of mental health the Leninger theory can help in pr
care by in dept knowledge of specific cultures (Fernandes et al, 20
essential to discover the domain of inquiry and care named as
enthonursing method. With caring actions and attitude a nurse ca
deal with the cultural competencies in mental health nursing.
References:
Jeffreys, M. R. (2015) Teaching cultural competence in nursing and health care: Inquiry, action, and innovation. Springer Publishing Company.
Holland, K. (2017). Cultural awareness in nursing and health care: an introductory text. Routledge.
Fernandes, E. T. B. S., Nascimento, E. R. D., Ferreira, S. L., Coelho, E. A. C., Silva, L. R. D., & Pereira, C (2018). Cervical cancer prevention quilombola women in the light of Leininger's
t theory. Revista gaucha de enfermagem, 39(1), e2016-4.
McFarland, M. R., & Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2017). Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. Nursing Theorists and Their Work-E-Book, 339.
Garneau, A. B., & Pepin, J. (2015). A constructivist theoretical proposition of cultural competence development in nursing. Nurse education today, 35(11), 1062-1068.
Tappen, R. M. (2016). Advanced nursing research: From theory to practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.