PATIENT'S RIGHTS LAW AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT NURSING CARE: AN ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE

The purpose of the current article is to discuss the culturally competent nursing practice according to the patient's rights law and to suggest strategies and models to facilitate culturally competent nursing care.

According to the patient's rights law, health care providers have to inform the patient about his/her health condition by an understandable language that is also appropriate to their culture. However, communication with culturally and linguistically diverse patients has been known to be difficult. Cultural and linguistic differences may impede access to health care, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment. The culturally competent nursing approach was suggested as the most appropriate way to minimize these difficulties.

This paper contributes to nursing care quality by suggesting the best available standards and models of care and improving culturally appropriate care. Nurses should place cultural competence as a priority, and protect their patients' diverse cultural and ethnical rights.