According to (Kathleen et al., 2021), – “Culture can be defined as a blueprint for our way of
living, thinking, behavior and feeling”. This is important in how will assess and treat mental
health patients. We need not assume that something is odd or bizarre without first
understanding the culture of a client. With the nature of mental health outpatient clients, all
staff members need to be knowledgeable about cultural differences and apply the knowledge
into practice all through the stages of patient care from the admission, evaluation, treatment,
and follow-up care of mental health patients.
Cultural Awareness in nursing practice is important to ensure that mental health patients
receive the care that they need rather than the care that we feel that the patients need. According
to Hofer et al (2016), Mental health patient treatment must be individually planned to depend
on the patient culture. There are differences in the cultures of patients with Eastern, Western,
and African cultural backgrounds that affect their beliefs, understanding, treatment, and
recovery from psychiatric disorders. The cultural diversity of multicultural societies results
from the coexistence of different ethnic and homogenous groups in the same country. (Walker,
E. R., 2016).
The (Lucero Lopez et al,2016) review was proposed based on a meta-synthesis to interpret a
process and product and, aimed at interpreting and concisely summarize the findings of
qualitative studies that will help know how cultural diversity experiences of nurses affect health
care outcomes. to understand the experiences of nurses in care delivery to culturally diverse
families. According to the (Anu-MariaKaihlanen et al, 2019) study, health care professionals
all over the world are responsible for the care of patients that are different in culture and
language. This makes competency in cultural awareness paramount in healthcare services. The
Finland hospital study was focused on how nurses’ perceptions change when they are trained
on cultural competency.
Possible Causes of the Difference in Outcomes
There are varying beliefs in mental health diagnosis ranging from a mood disorder,
psychiatric disorders, personality disorders, and eating disorders. Some cultures classify all
mental health disorders as mood disorders, but they have difficulty understanding the need for
antipsychotics. The outpatient clinical setting’s organizational culture will affect how the staff
members adopt EBP and will affect their willingness to develop new cultural understandings,
embrace new knowledge and implement learning.
The American Nurses Association –(ANA) identified some areas of cultural diversities in
nursing that include mental health, bariatric /obesity, elderly, racial and minority diversities,
access to health services, and availability of medical insurance. Nurses need the training to be
able to aware and make accommodations for these differences in culture, access to care,
varying cultural beliefs while treating in a medical conventional manner so patients can feel
safe in all health care settings. (Lucy Marion et al, 2017)
The current nursing ethics guide how nurses treat patients. However, an EBP study on cultural
awareness prepared by a DNP nurse will encourage nurses to develop open discussions on how
to improve on cultural awareness. Nurses will be more aware and acknowledge their own
beliefs. Other cultural beliefs will be respected while promoting health care services. – (Barbara
J. Leonard, Gregory A. Plotnikoff, 2000)
The effect that EBP Assignment is Having in Practice
EBP on cultural awareness in nursing practice worldwide continues to depict its necessity as
evidence continues to show that cultural training exercises for nurses not only increase the
nurse’s awareness of their personal biases, promotes communication between nurses and
patients, acknowledges patients’ different cultural beliefs, and promotes optimum patient care.
According to the Association of American Critical -Care Nurses (AACN), Culture plays an
important role in the practice and beliefs in health care services in America. As cultural
diversity increases, nurses need to make changes in the way that they offer health care services
to accommodate patients of different cultural beliefs.
Cultural awareness training will promote better awareness and acknowledgment of diverse
cultures and beliefs. Nurses competent in cultural awareness will be able to communicate better
with the patients and have a better patient care outcome. They will have better job satisfac