Clients cross international borders to receive healthcare. The age of the client is changing from younger clients to older clients. Healthcare personnel are changing from a common ethnic origin to a variety of ethnic origins. Clients come from many different ethnic backgrounds. All of this change creates the need for healthcare personnel to be familiar with transcultural or intercultural principles of care.
Transcultural nursing is a recognized specialty in nursing.
In addition to the client's cultural values, beliefs and healthcare practices affecting the healthcare provided and received, the healthcare provider's cultural values, beliefs and healthcare practices also impact the outcome of each care situation. Working together to provide the most appropriate care is difficult when cultural values are shared, it becomes much more difficult when cultural values differ or even clash. Within a healthcare team, there might be multiple cultural backgrounds. In 1976, I shared a home with Vietnamese refugees. One cultural value that may differ is the value of time.