Nursing Research Methods Mount Saint Mary College answer discussion

Purnell Model for Cultural Competence

Overview

          The present-day healthcare landscape is characterized by multiculturalism and diversity, which underscores the importance of leveraging strategies to foster cultural competence to avoid disparities in care provision. The importance of healthcare practitioners providing culturally competent care, hence improved care cannot be overstated. Cultural competence broadly encompasses developing an awareness and understanding of one’s and other’s cultures, accepting and respecting cultural differences, and resisting judgmental attitudes (Purnell, 2020). It also involves being open to cultural encounters and adapting care to be congruent with a client’s culture. Purnell model is a widely recognized and leveraged organizing framework that provides a comprehensive and holistic approach to understanding and integrating cultural competence in the healthcare domain. It has the potential to be used by distinct healthcare providers, with unmatched effectiveness as evidenced by the improved ability to provide culturally congruent healthcare services. Note that the model aims to optimize the quality of healthcare services provided, and overall healthcare outcomes. It has been shown to promote sensitive interactions between healthcare practitioners and individuals from different cultures.

The model embeds distinct domains that aid in the assessment of cultural attributes of an individual, family, or group, and their impact on health and healthcare. Based on an assessment of the domains, the importance of understanding an individual’s cultural background, the different communication styles, the roles and dynamics of an individual’s family, and promoting cultural diversity and sensitivity has been emphasized. Besides, the domains seek to enable individuals to better understand cultural attitudes and practices during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-partum care, ways culture influences an individual’s spiritual beliefs and practices, the cultural perspectives that affect an individual’s attitudes towards care, and the importance of healthcare practitioners developing cultural competence subsequently adapting their practices to meet the needs and preferences of diverse population groups (Purnell, 2020). As earlier noted, effective use of this model positively impacts healthcare processes and outcomes by fostering trust and understanding between patients and healthcare providers.

How the Model can Help One to Apply the Transcultural Concepts Learned to:

Clinical Practice 

          Practitioners can use the model to conduct a comprehensive assessment of an individual to aid in understanding their presenting beliefs, values, and practices. This can, in turn, be used to tailor culturally competent care plans (Rukadikar et al., 2022). Nurse practitioners can build rapport with patients before providing them with patient-centered care.

Nursing Education 

          Purnell model can be integrated into the nursing curriculum to help students learn about the distinct cultural factors that influence health. According to Rukadikar et al. (2022), this could involve developing simulation exercises that challenge learners to employ the model to gain a better understanding of real-world situations.

Nursing Administration 

          The model can be integrated into staff training programs for healthcare practitioners as a basis for enhancing their ability to provide equitable and respectful care to diverse patient populations. Cultural competence principles can also be integrated into organizational policies to streamline processes.

Nursing Research 

          The model can be used to promote evidence-based practice through research, for instance, in investigating cultural disparities in health outcomes, leading to a more nuanced understanding of ways culture can contribute to health disparities, and subsequently informing interventions. This could involve investigating multiple domains to identify specific cultural factors that impact health and well-being thereby designing appropriate interventions.