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Learning more about the populations you serve can improve communications and care

Nurse Leader Weekly, October 17, 2003

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The ethics, rights, and responsibilities chapter of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) standards aims to improve patient care and outcomes by mandating respect for patients' rights and conducting one's job ethically.

Standard RI.2.100 addresses patients' need for and right to effective communication. Organizations must make sure that they deliver health-related information to all patients in a culturally sensitive format that patients can comprehend.

The related standard RI.2.10 requires organizations to respect patients' "cultural, psychosocial, spiritual, and personal values, beliefs, and preferences."

As a leader in your facility, you must set an example and communicate to your staff the importance of learning how to best interact with different patients.

By learning more about the different immigrant populations that you serve, you can help your facility enhance communication with patients and elevate your hospital's quality of care, says Sondra Thiederman, PhD, a speaker, trainer, and author on the topics of cultural diversity and cross-cultural business. Thiederman works with Cross Cultural Communications, in San Diego.

All health care professionals should understand the following, says Thiederman:

• Alternative medical beliefs and value differences among immigrant populations
  
  
• Ways in which the presentation of complaints and variations in pain response can interfere with effective patient care
  
  
• General guidelines about different ethnic groups
  
  

Recognizing differences is the first step toward successful cross-cultural relationships, Thiederman says.

"It's okay to acknowledge a difference if it's pertinent to the situation," she says. Have the courage to identify the difference by explaining to the individual, 'I don't want to offend you in any way . . .' "

For example, in most Asian cultures, not looking you in the eye is a sign of respect. Explain this difference to staff.

TIP: When inquiring about a patient or coworkers' nationality, instead of asking, "What are you?" ask, "What's your background?"

Adapted from Hospital Pharmacy Regulation Report: http://www.hcmarketplace.com/Prod.cfm?id=1505

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