LEARNING OUTCOME AND OBJECTIVES:  Upon successful completion of this continuing education course, you will be prepared to provide effective and respectful care for patients belonging to different populations. Specific learning objectives to address potential knowledge gaps include:

• Examine the intersection of oppression, discrimination, and implicit biases in order to provide nondiscriminatory care.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for patients of all races, ethnicities, and religions, including how a patient’s race, ethnicity, or religion may contribute to various healthcare-related considerations.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for LGBTQ+ patients, including physical space, informational materials, patient communication, and staff training.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for children and older adults, including best practices for communicating effectively.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for veterans, including trauma-informed care.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for patients with mental illness, including common stigmas about people with mental illness.
• Discuss elements of culturally competent care for patients with a disability, including the use of people-first language.

INTRODUCTION

According to the National Institutes of Health (2021), culture involves a combination of elements that are often specific to ethnic, racial, religious, geographic, or social groups. Some of these elements include personal identification, language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions. These elements influence beliefs and belief systems surrounding health, healing, wellness, illness, disease, and delivery of health services. Cultural competence is a group of compatible behaviors, attitudes, and policies that combine together to allow healthcare professionals to work successfully in cross-cultural situations (Dillard et al., 2021).

In order to provide culturally competent care, nurses and other healthcare providers must be understanding and sensitive to the cultural characteristics common to certain populations, such as:

• Persons from various gender, racial, and ethnic backgrounds
• Persons from various religious backgrounds
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) persons
• Children and older adults
• Veterans
• Persons with a mental illness
• Persons with an intellectual, developmental, or physical disability

Providing care that adequately meets the diverse needs of patients from various cultural backgrounds is a necessary component of providing equitable healthcare for all individuals. Healthcare professionals can provide improved care to diverse patients through education and training, increased knowledge and skills, and changes in attitudes and behaviors (Dillard et al., 2021).