How does the community health nurse recognize bias, stereotypes, and implicit bias within the community? How should the nurse address these concepts to ensure health promotion activities are culturally competent? Propose strategies that you can employ to reduce cultural dissonance and bias to deliver culturally competent care. Include an evidence-based article that address the cultural issue. Cite and reference the article in APA format.

References not older than 5 years. Thank you.

Nurses often unknowingly manifest bias and stereotypes towards some of their patients, and the best approach to addressing the implicit bias is recognizing it and continually reassessing how one feels and work on it. Inherent bias is an unconscious human aspect that often hinders the best nursing practices (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). When a nurse recognizes that they have an inherent bias, this implies that they understand they may be having certain feelings regarding a certain population; an individual/groups’ appearance, or mannerisms that should be addressed for the provision of the best possible care (FitzGerald & Hurst, 2017). Nurses who have implicit biases can be less compassionate with specific patients and avoid having a therapeutic relationship with such patients and this can have adverse effects on the assessment and care.  Nursing Essay Paper

To ensure the delivery of culturally competent care, nurses need to become aware of their assumptions about a particular culture and understand what assumptions trigger (Bucknor-Ferron & Zagaja, 2016). For example, the way the one dresses or speaks (accents) may trigger a nurse to label one as a person with underserved traits. Another example is the race of the patient, how one dresses and appearance, triggering instant judgment for a nurse.

Nurses should take time to know their patients, learn about them, and understand their cultural differences to become aware of unconscious biases and start overcoming the bias. Acknowledging the existence of bias is the first step towards addressing the issue (Bucknor-Ferron & Zagaja, 2016). This makes a nurse to constantly analyze the bias and how this may affect the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship.

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Empathy is a way nurses can use to address implicit bias and stereotypes towards their patients. Nurses should also empathize with patients and their situations to understand their feelings. When nurses develop empathy, they consciously try to understand their patients and point of view and put themselves in patients’ shoes. Nurses should endeavor to try to be aware and recognize barriers that hinder the provision of compassionate care and implement practices that promote unbiased patient care. Nursing Essay Paper

Another way nurses can address bias among nurses is by being patient advocates by helping with communications with other healthcare providers, ensuring the rights of patients are respected, and identifying the best treatment options for patients. Nurses need to advocate for patients with compassion, professionalism, compassion, and communication and partner with other members of the healthcare team to supports the needs of the patients (Bucknor-Ferron & Zagaja, 2016).

Strategies nurses can use to decrease cultural dissonance and bias and ensure delivery of culturally competent care include counter-stereotypic imaging, emotional regulation, increasing contact opportunities, and building partnerships (Narayan, 2019). Counter-stereotypic imaging involves the nurse identifying the group that they are automatically stereotyped against and replacing the automatic prejudiced image with a positive image of this particular group. Emotional regulation involves nurses reflecting on their feelings and the consequent negative reactions towards patients from vulnerable groups. Consequently, the nurse makes a purposive intention to be compassionate, patient, and empathetic towards such groups. Moreover, nurses can increase opportunities to build relationships with patients and increase opportunities for contact with patients to develop relationships with diverse patient groups, to dissolve stereotypes, and understand different cultural groups (Narayan, 2019).

References

Bucknor-Ferron, P., & Zagaja, L. (2016). Five strategies to combat unconscious bias. Nursing2019, 46(11), 61-62.

FitzGerald, C., & Hurst, S. (2017). Implicit bias in healthcare professionals: a systematic review. BMC medical ethics, 18(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-017-0179-8.

Narayan, M. C. (2019). CE: Addressing Implicit Bias in Nursing: A Review. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 119(7), 36-43.  Nursing Essay Paper