Professional Communication Cultural Sensitivity Guide

Professional Communication Cultural Sensitivity Guide

The trend of cultural competency can be defined and strategized in a variety of ways depending on the population it is used to describe. The population of the nation has steadily increased to include a vast array of ethnicities and cultural divides. It is important to enhance one’s cultural competence to holistically meet the needs of the national population. Being culturally competent also allows for a deeper understanding of those individuals within our communities and the health disparities that communities can face.

Cultural sensitivity is a set of skills that helps us learn about various kinds of people, cultures that are different from ours thus teaching us how to serve better in a community. DeBrew, Lewallen, and Chun (March/April 2014) define cultural sensitivity as “having the capacity and sensitivity to function effectively with people from different cultures”. Therefore, cultural sensitivity becomes a critical tool that is utilized as a means for valuing and respecting the differences between cultures in a community. Cultural Sensitivity does not change our own cultural standards; rather it allows for the nurse to be aware of others cultural standards and beliefs.

Being from one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, we often see so many culturally diverse populations that not always are understood. Culture can affect each in a very different way. Cultural Sensitivity does not only imply having the knowledge of how other cultures are different from your own. But it is also about being aware of the social, racial and cultural differences existing within societies (McEwen & Wills, 2014). This can also be termed as multiculturalism. Thus, being culturally sensitive is crucial in health care and the nursing profession alike.

Muslim: Islamic Religion Overview

The Muslim population practices the religion of Islam. Islam is a monotheistic religion that worships Allah, meaning “The God” (Zafar, 2014). The Islamic religion is based on the Prophet Mohammad, said to be the last messenger from God. The Islamic religion is based on their holy book, the Quran. Additional teachings fro the word of Mohammad can also be found in the Sunnah and Hadith.

For the Muslim, the purpose of life is found in complete submission to God (Zafar, 2014). Similar to the 10 Commandments that the Christian faith follows, the religion of Islam focuses on the five pillars that are essential to being a good Muslim of the Islamic faith. According toMujallad and Taylor (2016), “the 5 pillars include: (a) con- fessing Allah as the only God and Mohammad as his prophet, (b) praying at five specified times every day, (c) fasting during daylight every day during the month of Ramadan, (d) giving to the poor at least 2.5% of the believer’s income, and (e) making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during the believer’s life” (p. 169).

Cultural Relevance

Over the last couple of decades, the Muslim population has been in the spotlight. It is important to be able to communicate the overall achievement of holistic heath practice while being culturally sensitive to this population. Although Islam is the second most common religion in the world with 1.6 billion adherents, less than 2% of the U.S. population is Muslim (Association of Religion Data Archives [ARDA], n.d.a). Most of the Muslim population in the United States today has emigrated from another country. Because Islam is the second most common religion, there is a diverse make-up of followers from many different Islamic states. Mujallad and Taylor (2016) note that of these first-generation immigrants, 40% arrived in the country after 2000 (Pew Research Center, 2011).

Muslim Women: Islamic Modesty

The concept of modesty is central to the women of the Islamic religion. Although no direct phrases from Islamic holy books prohibit interactions between men and women, many Muslim scholars suggest some statements support a prohibition of these interactions (Mujallad and Taylor, 2016, p.170). The Islamic religion also requires that women are not to make eye contact with men. Women may cover their head with a “burkha”, or they may wear garments that cover their entire body and only expose their eyes. Still yet, about the cultural diversity of the Islamic faith, some other countries allow women to wear colorful headdresses, tunics, or even pants. The westernized concept of birth control measures that include medications are accepted in the Islamic religion, but sterilization is not an accepted practice.

Implications and Applications to Practice

There are several critical elements that establish standards of practice that contribute to the nursing profession and the role they play in providing culturally competent care to the community as a whole. According to Brady (2010), nurses and the health care organizations they work for can utilize the strategies and the elements, used to aid in the development of those strategies to provide a sound culturally competent nursing profession that aims to meet the needs of the community. Some of the strategies that may function as a framework for the culturally holistic competent nursing care for the community may include; critical (‘self’) reflection, transcultural nursing knowledge, cross-cultural practice and communication, patient advocacy, multicultural workforce education and training, and evidenced-based practice and research (DeBrew, Lewallen, & Chun, March/April 2014).

The Islamic religion is an example of faith with many diverse levels of followers. The United States always has in the past and will continue in the future to comprise a multi-cultural society. It is important for the healthcare providers to be aware that there are other cultural preferences amongst the United States population and that these cultural preferences re still diverse in their makeup. The role of the nurse allows for the health and well-being of all individuals come to the forefront regardless of their culture, ethnicity, race, or creed. It is imperative to support an environment that values and respects the cultural preferences of others.

Conclusion

Cultural competency is important in every aspect of an individual’s environment. Nurses rely on their cultural competencies as a critical tool to help those around them achieve the most holistic level of health possible. As a profession, nurses look to achieve a higher standard of health promotion and health prevention within the communities around them. To really make a difference, the nurse needs to be culturally sensitive and culturally aware of those in their communities. The culturally competent nurse is vital in the exchange of health information within multi-cultural communities

References

Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). (n.d.a.). United States (general). Nationalprofiles. Retrieved August 2, 2016 from: http://www.thearda.com/international Data/countries/country_234_1.asp.

Brady, J. M. (2010). Cultural nursing implications in an integrated world. Journal of

PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25(6), 409-412. doi:10.1016/j.jopan.2010.10.005

DeBrew, J. K., Lewallen, L.P., & Chun, E. (March/April 2014). Outsiders in nursing education: Cultural sensitivity in clinical education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 30(2), 149-154. doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2013.08.005.

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.

Mujallad, A., & Taylor, E. J. (2016). Modesty among Muslim women: Implications for nursing care. Medsurg Nursing, 25(3), 169-172. Retrieved August 1, 2016, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1798713298?accountid=458.

Pew Research Center. (2011). Muslim Americans: No signs of growth in alienation or supportfor extremism. Retrieved from http://www.people-press.org/2011/ 08/30/section-1-a-demographic-portrait-of-Muslim-Americans/.

Zafar, H. (2014). Demystifying Islam: Tackling the tough questions. London, England:

Rowman & Littlefield.