CULTURALLY COMPETENT CARE IN NURSING SCIENCE AND PRACTICE

Abstract

Introduction. The growing cultural diversity of Ukraine’s population and global migration processes highlight the challenge of providing medical care to patients with diverse cultural backgrounds. Research indicates inequalities in the quality of medical services for ethnic minorities. Therefore, culturally competent care is an important factor in enhancing the effectiveness of nursing practice and improving treatment outcomes.

The aim of the study – to explore the concept of culturally competent nursing based on the analysis of the most well-known theoretical models and to clarify the impact of cultural competence on nursing practice.

The main part. Culturally competent care is a dynamic process of adapting medical care to the patient’s cultural values, language, and beliefs to create a safe and inclusive environment. The scientific foundation of this concept was laid by theorists M. Leininger, L. Purnell, J. Campinha-Bacote, and I. Papadopoulos, who demonstrated that ignoring cultural context leads to stress, diagnostic errors, and reduced treatment quality. The modern model of care is based on four stages: awareness of one’s own biases, acquisition of knowledge about different ethnic groups, development of sensitivity in communication, and the final synthesis of these skills into competence. Implementing this approach through educational programs and scientific research is critical to humanising medicine, overcoming discrimination, and ensuring equal access to quality care in a globalised world.

Conclusions. Culturally competent care is a continuous process of adapting nursing practice to the patient’s worldview, grounded in classical transcultural models and transforming the patient from an object of manipulation into an active partner. Implementing this approach minimises inequalities in access to healthcare and ensures ethically sound, individualised care in a multicultural society. For the sustainable development of the field, it is necessary to integrate cultural awareness into educational programs, job descriptions, and research.