Cultural Competence In Nursing

Dying is part of the normal process of living, but that isn’t to say that dealing with death is an easy feat. Thus, it is important for nurses to understand their patients’ cultural background in order to provide culturally competent and compassionate care at the end of life. Culturally competent medical care for the dying patient by nurses and healthcare providers alike is a challenging task, especially when religious values, practices, and beliefs influence the treatment decisions for patients as the end of life nears. The purpose of this paper is to discover cultural practices among the Jewish community at the end of life.

The basic concepts of treating patients with respect, compassion, and honesty are still what are most important to patients, regardless of cultural/ethnic background.
In order to provide culturally competent health care, it is important to not only understand what end-of life care is, but also what cultural competence is. The National Institute of Health (NIH) and
As nurses embark on the journey towards cultural competence, they must enhance their knowledge of the practices of the cultural groups they care for. By understanding the concepts of different cultures, nurses are able to keep the lines of communication open and make the end-of-life experience as comfortable as possible. This idea is further supported by the ANA position statement (1991) on cultural diversity in nursing practice that states “ Knowledge od cultural diversity is vital at all levels of nursing practice…nurses need to understand how cultural groups define health and illness; how healers cure and care for members of cultural groups; and how nurses’ cultural backgrounds can influence care delivery.” (ANA,