Developing cultural competence in caring for people with mental health conditions
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Developing cultural competence in caring for people with mental health conditions

Nicky Hindmarch Programme leader and senior lecturer, BSc mental health nursing, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, England
Elizabeth Collier Senior lecturer in mental health nursing, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, England
Nikki Schofield Lecturer in mental health nursing, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise the importance of embedding cultural competence in healthcare

  • To understand how cultural competence may apply to people with a diagnosis of a mental health condition

  • To identify strategies for providing effective and inclusive care to patients with mental health conditions

As cultural competence becomes embedded in healthcare, it is important to consider this concept in the context of caring for patients with mental health conditions in general hospital settings. Adult nurses are likely to encounter patients with such conditions who are experiencing a mental health crisis in their practice. However, a lack of opportunity to develop the skills required to engage with patients whose behaviours may be unfamiliar or perceived as challenging can result in suboptimal experiences of care. Developing cultural competence can enhance adult nurses’ ability to deliver effective and inclusive care to patients with mental health conditions. This article discusses various aspects of cultural competence in relation to mental health and provides examples of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that can support adult nurses to engage effectively with patients experiencing a mental health crisis.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12067

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

N.Hindmarch@derby.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Hindmarch N, Collier E, Schofield N (2023) Developing cultural competence in caring for people with mental health conditions. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2023.e12067

Published online: 02 May 2023

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