The ACCESS model: a transcultural nursing practice framework

As transcultural nursing is beginning to be a feature of health care in multiethnic and multicultural Britain, the need for transcultural health practice models is increasing. The focus of this article, the ACCESS model (Narayanasamy, 1999), was developed to offer nurses a framework to deliver transcultural nursing care. Since its introduction there has been increasing interest about it from practitioners, nurse educators and students of nursing. The aim of this study was to ascertain the usefulness of the ACCESS model by a questionnaire study. In the institution where this study took place, pre- and post-registration nursing students are introduced to this model along with other models of transcultural health care. Participants (n = 166) who received transcultural healthcare education completed questionnaires with statements about the usefulness of this model. A significant number of participants found the model to be very useful with respect to its various features. The conclusion of this study is that the ACCESS model offers a useful framework for nurses implementing transcultural care practice. It appears that students and practitioners are interested in this model because of its practice implications.