Nurse administrators need to be knowledgeable about and sensitive to the cultural diversity among providers and consumers. Nurse researchers need to utilize the cross-cultural body of knowledge in order to ask pertinent research questions. Through exploration of other cultures, nurse researchers and practitioners find that while cultures differ, there are also many similarities among groups. Nurses are in a position to influence professional policies and practice in response to cultural diversity. Definitions Cultural diversity in nursing practice derives its conceptual base from nursing, other cross-cultural health disciplines, and the social sciences such as anthropology, sociology and psychology.
Culture is conceptualized broadly to encompass the belief systems of a variety of groups.
Cultural diversity refers to the differences between people based on a shared ideology and valued set of beliefs, norms, customs, and meanings evidenced in a way of life. The impact of culture as a causative influence on the perceptions, interpretations and behaviors of persons in specific cultural groups is important. Issues such as cultural differences in defining health and in designing treatments are also important. As knowledge of specific cultures is gained, cross cultural comparison can lead to recognition of possible universal aspects as well. Ideology is comprised of the ideas of a group, their nature and source, and the doctrines, opinions or ways of thinking of a group.