Title: Feeling Understood
Description: The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the patients’ perceptions of the lived experience as recipients of culturally competent nursing care related to their cultural values, customs, and health beliefs. A review of the literature revealed that culturally competent nursing care is the basis of providing holistic, individualized care. However, as culturally competent care has gained momentum in recent years, healthcare disparities in the United States remain, particularly among underserved minority and vulnerable groups of multicultural backgrounds. Literature suggests a link between culturally competent nursing care and improved health outcomes. This connection has been the motivation for nursing professionals to embrace culturally competent care and work to close the gap of incongruence of quality healthcare for all individuals. Van Manen’s phenomenological research method was used to reveal the essence of the lived experience of culturally competent nursing care as perceived by participants of Chinese ethnicity.

The phenomenon was the experience of being in a hospital receiving nursing care as a patient from diverse cultural background. The context of the phenomenon was healthcare organizations that purport to provide exemplary culturally competent care. Following interviews of nine participants, transcripts were analyzed. Data analysis revealed four themes: (a) nurse’s presence; (b) feeling understood; (c) nice nurse, happy nurse, happy patient related to nurses’ caring behaviors and the impact on one’s perception of their health; and (d) gratitude. The concept of connectedness was an overarching theme within each of the four identified themes, serving as the thread among all interviews and themes. Watson’s Human Caring Science Theory of Nursing provided a framework for the themes and overarching theme. In this qualitative study, participant interviews contributed to building the body of knowledge about culturally competent care that shed light on Chinese participants’ meaningful nursing care experiences.