¶ … Standards of Cultural Competent Care Emerging Standards of Cultural Competent

This research paper is established to explore upon the emerging trends of culturally competent care in general organizational settings. However, the scope of this care will be narrowed down specifically to health care organization I am working with. All the bits and bytes allied with the phenomenon of cultural competent care have been included in this paper, including the overview of what this trend is all about, what are the standards being followed in this particular domain and how those standards are applicable within my workplace premises. All in all, this paper will serve as a primer for the culturally competent care that is required to be promoted within different workplace environments.

An Overview of Culturally Competent Care

As a matter of fact, United States has appeared to be one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Researchers and experts predicted that by the end of year 2012, more than 35% of the population residing in U.S. will be largely comprised of several ethnically categorized "minorities." However, such diversification in population itself turns into various social and cultural differences and statuses of people belong to various ethnic groups. Another aspect of this diversity is challenging provision of adequate and equal medical care to each ethnically diversified group in the country (Callister, 2005). Here it is worth noting that these are not only racial/ethnic minorities that are exposed to inferior health care as per standard health indicators in the society; but, sometimes ethnicities and/or cultures belong to majority groups are also suffering with lack of adequate treatment, or marginalization within clinical settings of health care organizations (Callister, 2005). Thus, to sum up the discussion so far, Culturally Competent Care is referred to as the phenomenon of endowing patients with adequate health care facilities which are not being given to them due to the conventional opinions that are allied with their particular ethnic or cultural status in the country (Teekman, 2000).

Brief Introduction of Organization at Question

The organization I am working with is a healthcare organization meant to rehabilitate patients with excessive addiction of different types of drugs. This healthcare organization has the policy of treating its patients with extensive care and motivation so that they can get rid of this social curse which slowly and gradually corrodes their lives till death.

Cultural Competent Care in My Organization

Promotion of inclusion and equality among the served patients is the cultural competent care that is most appropriate for the type of organization I am working with. As it is a commonly observable fact that substance abuse is usually common among the minority groups of the country than that of the high class, majority group in the society. Thus, with equal treatment of all patients the combat against addictive drugs could be won by all means and for that reason, I found this aspect of cultural competent care most important to be implemented within the organization I am associated with.

Vulnerable Population

Addiction of substances has become a bottle neck for a number of societies as, its ever-increasing ratio among males and females, teenagers or adolescents have reached the pinnacles of social disasters. In due course, many researches, rehabilitation programs, strategies and effective measures have been taken by the governments. But still, the results are not as fruitful as it can be. Therefore, this topic always emerged as a burning question in many debates. Substance abuse, in general, is not specifically associated with a special class or group; however, its dominancy is quite prominent in some cultural premises.

By keeping the severity of the subject matter at utmost priority, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) comes up with an immense support for most of the world's researches on substance abuse and addictions. Researches funded by NIDA facilitate scientists to be relevant with the most advance tools and techniques that are available in this technological era so as to the study each and every aspect of the excessive abuse including (NIDA Notes, n.d.):

Heritable and societal determinants of vulnerability in response to drug abuse

Short- and long-standing consequences of overriding drugs on the mental capabilities of the abuser, including augmented addiction.

Other health and social impacts of substance abuse that might include severely contagious deceases and increasing economic costs

Maturity and testing of medication and other behavioral treatments for evasion of frequent abuse and addiction

Enlargement and assessment of effectual memorandums to dissuade young people, in particular, from the exploitation of drugs

An array of research works, basing upon the above-stated objectives, have been carried out in this regard and most of these researches pointed towards an amazingly eye-opening fact that today, American Hispanics, either Males or Females, are standing at odds of their basic healthcare measures and thus, are facing a great many health related inconsistencies that are badly...

Hispanic population. The majority of such disparities in Hispanic culture are allied with intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV / AIDS. But here, the contemplation is being given at the augmenting substance drug abuse practices especially in Hispanic males, which is considered as an originating factor of the above-stated rigorous social and medical irregularities. However, many studies have been examined so as to evaluate that how this excessive drug abuse may specifically impact this population. Therefore, the served community is the Hispanic men who have severe substance addiction, which is reason of various other social and societal causalities.
Benchmarking Standards of Cultural Competent Care

In general, the standards of cultural competent care being followed internationally are as follows (Giddings, 2005):

Standard 1: The effective, explicable, and courteous care for patients or consumers is to be ensured by the health care organizations in such a way that the provided service is aligned with the cultural health beliefs and practices of the particularly served groups.

Standard 2: Strategies for recruiting, retaining, as well as promoting diversification of staff at all levels of the organization is required to be ensured by the organization in such a way that various representatives with different demographic characteristics are being included.

Standard 3: Timely education and training of staff members to deal with equality with the culturally diversified patient groups is to be ensured by the health care organizations.

Standard 4: A written strategic plan is required to be formulated, promoted and implemented within the health care organizations in which clear organizational goals, policies, operational plans, and management strategies for providing healthcare services that are culturally appropriate.

Standard 5: Continues self-assessments for the activities related to culturally competent care are required to be conducted by the health care organizations.

Standard 6: Health care organizations are required to encourage the integration of measures that are culturally competent into their organizational policies and programs, internal audits and patient's management and performance management practices.

Standard 7: Comprehensive data regarding the race and ethnicity of individual patient or consumer should be maintained in health records, integrated in the management information systems of the organization, and updated frequently.

Standard 8: There should be cross communicational environment in health care organizations in which staff members are trained to deal with the patients while keeping their verbal and non-verbal language, cultural values and beliefs and healthcare needs and expectations at front.

Standard 9: There should be an avoidance of cross cultural conflicts and grievance within the health care organizations. Moreover, strategies to resolve any culturally or linguistically affected conflict should be formulated and proposed.

Standard 10: There must be the utilization of evidence-based practices within the healthcare organizations.

Standard 11: Health care organizations should promote cross cultural leadership style within their internal structure where the staff members come up with appropriate abilities of influencing individuals, groups and systems for achieving culturally competent care for ethnically diversified population.

After analyzing all the standards associated with cultural competent care in healthcare organizations, it could be established that even though my organization has aligned its operational plans and policies according to these standards but still there are some standards which my organization lack behind. Standard 11 i.e. promotion of cross cultural leadership is the most obvious loophole my organization has come up with.

Significance of Nursing Care in meeting Standards

Appropriate nursing care could help organizations in (International Council of Nurses, 1998):

1. Recognition of cultural power and influence to give effective and appropriate care to the patients on the basis of their cultural values and beliefs

2. Understanding how cultural backgrounds have an effect on others' perceptions and opinions

3. Understanding that different cultural groups have different beliefs and practices; this could help in delivering best-fit healthcare service

4. Recognizing the cause and impacts of past experiences for carrying out evidence-based healthcare practices

5. Building an environment where each culture is treated equally

6. Allocating appropriate resources for promoting cross cultural leadership within organization where there is cultural awareness, sensitivity, and respect for culturally diversified groups

7. Promoting policies and practices based on inclusion and equality

Solutions

Physicians should play a role in deciding what strategies a health care organization should take in the future because they are some of the most central elements of the healthcare structures and can provide input which combines the interests of healthcare providers…