Emerging Standards of Care
The Office of Minority Health defines the term “cultural competency” as “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations” (“What is Cultural Competency, n.d.). Health care providers have begun focusing on ways to create culturally appropriate and effective health care policies. These policies will lead to culturally sensitive care provided to patients. The diversity within the world’s population is changing hastily and impacting health care globally. Although, many organizations have provided their definitions of cultural competence regarding health care, all organizations, health care providers, and patients have their own vision of what cultural competency entails. It is important that all providers use their individual understanding of the term to analyze ways to meet the standards of nursing care. With standards in place, organizations can develop tools which measure individual patient needs as well as measuring the effectiveness of the organization’s culturally diverse practices. As populations become more diverse, it is imperative that the gap in disparities of health care be closed. To ensure these differences are addressed, health care providers and patients must discuss the concerns without cultural differences hindering the discussion (What is Cultural Competency, n.d.). All categories and specialties within the health care profession must overcome the challenges presented to them regarding the changing diversity of the populations that they serve.
In the home health workplace, nurses have to be knowledgeable and cognizant of cultural diversities in order to provide the most efficient care possible. Culturally competent care in my home health organization is based on providing consistent,