Transcultural Nursing Principles

CE Transcultural Nursing Principles An Application to Hospice Care Mimi Jenko, MN, RN, CHPN Susan Raye Moffitt, MSN, ARNP-BC v Providing end-of-life care that is meaningful to KEY WORDS each family, that honors a deep appreciation for the sanctity of human life, requires nurses to cultural diversity develop cultural competence. It is noted that hospice nursing many cultural variations exist in the dying palliative nursing process, in what is considered culturally meaningful, and in what constitutes a good transcultural nursing death. Using transcultural nursing concepts as t was a brief yet memorable encounter. The patient, a theoretical base, this article will provide an a 47-year-old Mexican-American migrant worker, overview to the hospice practitioner who might Ilay dying, surrounded by numerous family members be unfamiliar with these concepts. Additionally, of all ages. The elderly mother clung to her profound a framework is provided to assist with Catholic faith, petitioning God on her son’s behalf. assessments and interventions in multicultural In an effort to reposition the patient, the staff ap- situations. Three specific ethical areas, germane proached the bedside. The staff had worked diligently to hospice care, are also discussed: (1) sharing to gain the trust of the family, which was nearly bad news, (2) locus of decision making, and crushed with one quick action. Petite and elderly, but (3) advance directives. Throughout the article, clearly the family matriarch, the patient’s mother had numerous clinical examples are used to placed a Catholic rosary with the patient. In a task- underscore the presented concepts. oriented mindset, a member of staff had nearly plucked the rosary from the patient’s hands and placed it Mimi Jenko, MN, RN, CHPN, Center for Cancer Care and Research, Watson Clinic, a division of LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care, Lakeland, FL. Susan Raye Moffitt, MSN, ARNP-BC, Good Shepherd Hospice, a division of LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care, Lakeland, FL. Address correspondence to Mimi Jenko, MN, RN, CHPN, Center for Cancer Care and Research, Watson Clinic LLP, Lakeland, FL (e-mail: mjenko@ watsonclinic.com). The authors have no conflict of interest. 172 JOURNAL OF HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE NURSING v Vol. 8, No. 3, May/June 2006 Copyright © Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ unceremoniously on the bedside table. Immediately, dirt road. Each environment, each person, embodies a another staff member requested permission to remove different culture. Providing end-of-life care that honors the rosary. When the treasured item of hope and faith an appreciation for the sanctity of human life requires was placed in the mother’s hands, appreciation shone in nurses to develop cultural competence. This article will her eyes. Upon the completion of the nursing task, this review the transcultural nursing literature and apply mother gently replaced the rosary in her son’s hands. A these concepts to hospice practice. simple act of cultural sensitivity, imperative for the Galanti2 acknowledges that nurses face ‘‘this monu- healthcare providers to learn, diverted a violation of the mental task on a daily basis; interacting with patients family’s heritage and beliefs. and family members who are ill, scared and generally not at their best’’ and strives to make various cultural practices seem ‘‘interesting rather than annoying.’’ v DEFINING TRANSCULTURAL Healthcare providers strive for successful outcomes. NURSING Understanding specific factors that shape behaviors is an essential beginning.1 ‘‘Learning about, understand- Concepts of transcultural nursing were developed by ing, and respecting the values and beliefs of others’’ is Leininger in the mid-1950s. ‘‘Transcultural nursing’’ a basic definition of cultural competence.2 It is not a has become an accepted phrase, a formal concept, and stagnant entity, but a dynamic process.3 a field of study extending across cultural lines in search As cultures interact with each other, inevitable con- of the ‘‘essence of nursing.’’1 The implications of these flicts and clashes ensue, often with impacts on health- definitions are vast. An increase in migration of people care outcomes. Yet developing cultural competence should between countries has occurred and gender issues be a constant learning process, versus an end point.3 By continue to add complex layers to one’s world view.2 first understanding their own culture, nurses should As cited by Andrews and Boyle,3 numerous authors acquire knowledge and understanding of the values have identified transcultural nursing as the blending of and beliefs of other cultures. Then, the knowledge can anthropology and nursing in both theory and practice. be incorporated and applied to professional nursing Anthropology refers to the study of humans: their practice.2 origins, behavior, customs, social relationships, and de- velopment over time. The use of transcultural nursing principles provides a venue to examine many aspects of v UNDERSTANDING YOUR OWN the delivery of care. CULTURE Cultural factors were not formally integrated into the nursing curricula until the 1960s and 1970s.4 Bigby6 states that understanding one’s self is funda- Many changes were prompted by the seminal work, mental in understanding how to relate to others; that Nursing and Anthropology: Two Worlds to Blend ‘‘personal self-reflection and self-critique are required (1970), in which Leininger urged the two professions to explore how different life experiences influence to share knowledge and experiences. Leininger, the first interactions with patients.’’ An equally critical step in graduate-prepared nurse to hold a PhD in cultural and developing cultural competence is acknowledging that social anthropology, continued her work with Trans- different expectations may exist between providers and cultural Nursing: Concepts, Theories, Research, and patients. Each will experience similar situations from Practice (1978). This publication is widely considered different perspectives. The beginning of cultural com- the first definitive work on the practice of transcultural petence, asserts Bigby, is the desire to better one’s nursing.5 relations with other groups of people. Many methods are available for self-discovery. The questions in Table 1 can be used to gain insights into v APPLYING TRANSCULTURAL potential sources of bias, as well as to enhance NURSING PRINCIPLES TO HOSPICE appreciation for one’s own cultural beliefs.3,6 Addition- CARE ally, awareness of one’s personal culture may begin with an examination of one’s values, or the things held In a single day, a hospice nurse may care for a foreign- important. For example, one may wish to examine the born corporate executive, or a rural family on a country typical ‘‘American’’ values such as freedom of choice, JOURNAL OF HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE NURSING v Vol. 8, No. 3, May/June 2006 173 Copyright © Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Table 1 Know Thyself: A Self-Discovery Questionnaire for Practitioners3,6 1. How would you describe your racial/ethnic identity? 2. What are some characteristics of your racial/ethnic that you view positively? Negatively? 3. When you were growing up, what did you learn to value? 4. At what point in your life did you encounter a person of a different race? Different religious belief? Different sexual orientation? 5. How do you feel when you are alone on an elevator with a person of a different race? 6. What was the role of food in your family of origin? 7. If you had an appointment at 2:00 PM, what time would you arrive? 8. At what point in your life did you encounter someone with a history of incarceration? 9. What is the cultural characteristic with which you have the most difficulty? 10. At what point in your life did you encounter someone with a terminal illness? 11. What is your first thought when you see someone with a physical or mental disability? 12. How do your views change when you discover that a person abuses medication or illegal drugs? importance of money, or rights to independence and ences, such as eating a kosher diet, might also charac- privacy. According to Galanti,2 a culture’s values can be terize a certain ethnic group.8 assessed via the way it punishes people. By taking away Religion is defined by the Office of Minority Health one’s money (such as a fine) or taking away one’s as ‘‘a set of beliefs, values and practices based on the freedom (such as incarceration), a typical citizen of teachings of a spiritual leader.’’8 Many mysteriesVlife America would be deprived of something valued. and death, pain and sufferingVare derived from and Values, or standards that a group of people hold in respond to religious concerns. When framing a health common, provide a framework to govern one’s life, crisis in meaning and purpose, often a religious including attitudes and behaviors. Personal decisions component is involved.3 and actions are guided by these standards, thus reveal- ing a person’s identity. How one perceives and reacts to others is affected by one’s values.7 Acquiring Knowledge and Understanding Further exploration of one’s personal culture may include awareness into one’s heritage. The concept of An orderly method of acquiring knowledge is the Giger heritage includes cultural, ethnic, and religious back- and Davidhizar Transcultural Assessment Model,1 con- grounds. Each component contributes to the creation taining the following six distinct domains:

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