Transcultural nursing with Native Americans: critical knowledge, skills, and attitudes

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Indigenous Health
• Cultural Competence

Background:

• Native American nurses are uniquely positioned to provide culturally sensitive healthcare.
• Effective healthcare for Native populations requires understanding indigenous cultures and traditions.
• Culturally competent care is essential for improving health outcomes among Native peoples.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values necessary for culturally competent care of Native American patients.
• To inform nursing practice and education for improved service provision to indigenous communities.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to forty Native American nurses and nursing students.
• The survey focused on knowledge, skills, and attitudes/values for culturally competent care.
• Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes from the survey responses.

Main Results:

• Four key knowledge themes were identified, emphasizing the need to understand Native cultures, histories, and health beliefs.
• Four skill themes emerged, highlighting the importance of tailored approaches for non-Western contexts and specific containment skills.
• Three attitude/value themes underscored the necessity of respecting diversity, traditions, open-mindedness, and nonethnocentrism.

Conclusions:

• Nurses require specific knowledge about Native cultures, including health beliefs and healing practices.
• Essential skills include adapting care to non-Western contexts and employing containment strategies.
• Fundamental attitudes involve respecting diversity, traditions, and maintaining an open, nonethnocentric perspective for effective indigenous healthcare.