Culturally Sensitive Care

1. Mr. Kone, a 58-year-old from a West African community, prefers consulting a traditional healer for chronic joint pain and is reluctant to start NSAIDs. He says the healer’s herbal mix “balances my body.” The family wants to continue both approaches but is concerned about interactions. What is the nurse’s most culturally sensitive and clinically appropriate response? *

Advise the patient to stop traditional remedies immediately to avoid interactions

Dismiss the healer’s role and provide only biomedical education

Ask respectful questions about the herbs used and collaborate with pharmacy to check for interactions while acknowledging the patient’s beliefs

Tell the family to choose either traditional or biomedical care

2. A hospitalized patient who follows strict religious fasting during a holy period is being discharged with nutritional instructions that include daytime snacks. The patient seems uneasy about following the diet plan while fasting. Which action best balances cultural respect and clinical needs? *

Insist the patient break the fast for health reasons

Provide guidance that adapts the dietary plan to fasting times and consult dietetics for culturally appropriate alternatives

Ignore the patient’s fasting and give standard diet instructions

Tell the patient to resume the diet only after the religious period

3. A Muslim woman requests a female nurse for intimate wound care and expresses discomfort with male providers. The unit has limited female staff that shift; a male nurse is immediately available. What should the nurse manager do first? *

Assign the male nurse because care must be timely

Respect the patient’s request, delay non-urgent care and arrange a female caregiver or provide a chaperone while seeking alternative staffing

Explain that requests cannot always be accommodated and proceed

Ask the patient to change her mind because staffing is limited

4. An elderly patient from a collectivist culture defers all decisions to his eldest son. The healthcare team explains options only to the patient and documents consent, but the son later says family discussion was expected before signing. What is the nurse’s best next step to respect cultural decision-making while upholding consent standards? *

Re-engage the family, clarify the patient’s capacity and preferences, and document a culturally appropriate shared decision process going forward

Accept the son’s version and invalidate the signed consent

Insist the patient made an autonomous decision and proceed

Ask the physician to redo all discussions with the son only

5. A First Nations patient requests a smudging ceremony in the surgical prep area before an elective procedure. Hospital policy restricts open flames and smoke in clinical spaces. Which approach best honours cultural practice while maintaining safety? *

Allow smudging in the prep area despite policy

Ask the patient to postpone cultural practices until after discharge

Deny the ceremony because of policy

Offer an alternative location/time (e.g., outside or in a designated space) and work with spiritual care and infection control to find a safe compromise

6. An older adult who is transgender reports staff using the wrong name and pronouns and now avoids appointments. The patient fears discrimination but needs ongoing wound care. What is the nurse’s highest-priority action to restore culturally safe access? *

Schedule care at a different facility

Ignore the complaint because it’s “only” microaggressions

Tell the patient to be less sensitive; errors happen

Apologize, correct records to reflect chosen name/pronouns, educate staff immediately, and document the change to prevent recurrence

7. refugee patient declines an internal pelvic exam due to prior trauma and expresses cultural shame, yet the test is medically indicated. The clinician insists it’s necessary.
How should the nurse advocate ethically and culturally? *

Explore alternatives and obtain informed consent that respects safety and dignity

Cancel the exam indefinitely

Proceed with the exam while avoiding discussion

Force the exam because it’s medically necessary

8. A community leader who speaks limited English attends with several patients and offers to “explain” discharge plans. The leader’s role is influential but not professionally trained. What is the safest and most culturally sensitive course of action? *

Refuse the leader’s involvement because he is not a certified interpreter

Accept the leader as the sole interpreter to expedite discharge

Provide written materials only and exclude the leader

Use a professional interpreter for accuracy while inviting the leader to support understanding and logistics as appropriate

9. A hospitalized patient’s family insists on preparing traditional meals that are high in sodium despite dietary restrictions for heart failure. The patient enjoys the meals socially and refuses hospital food. Which nursing response best balances cultural respect and clinical risk? *

Prohibit family food to protect the patient

Require the family to eat separately from the patient

Collaborate with dietetics to modify traditional recipes for lower sodium and discuss portioning, while acknowledging the food’s cultural importance

Ignore the dietary restriction because family traditions matter more

10. A patient from a community where mental illness is highly stigmatized refuses a referral to outpatient psychiatry but will accept faith-based counselling from a local leader. What is the nurse’s best culturally sensitive plan to ensure safety and respect? *

Collaborate with the faith leader (with patient consent) to provide support while arranging confidential, low-stigma mental health resources and safety planning

Tell the patient to hide the faith-based counselling from the care team

Discharge without mental health follow-up

Insist on psychiatry referral only and threaten to involve authorities if refused