Engendering cultural responsive care: a reflective model for nurse education

Abstract

A significant outcome of globalization has been a greater movement of peoples. As a consequence societies around the world are increasingly becoming multicultural. Multiculturalism, therefore, is a major characteristic of modern societies and one which has significant implications for health care delivery and health care systems. Many of these implications arise from differing health beliefs and values. Different cultural groups will, therefore, have values and attitudes consistent with that culture. Within health care the norms of the host culture tend to dominate resulting in ethnocentrism. This ethnocentric approach to delivery of health care has led to inequities, with immigrant groups reporting dissatisfaction with health care provision.

This paper explores the ways in which health belief systems and values are constructed. It then goes on to consider how differing health beliefs have led to health disparities, amongst differing cultural groups, within the United Kingdom. A model of reflection specifically designed to facilitate the exploration of health care values within a pre-registration nursing curriculum is proposed as one way of promoting culturally sensitive care within nursing students.