Cultural differences with end-of-life care in the critical care unit

Dimens Crit Care Nurs. 2007 Sep-Oct;26(5):194-8. doi: 10.1097/01.DCC.0000286822.04238.df.

Abstract

Critical care nurses are providing healthcare for an increasingly multicultural population. This ever-increasing diversity in cultures and subcultures presents a challenge to nurses who want to provide culturally competent care. It is common for patients and families to face difficult decisions about end-of-life care in critical care units, and minority cultures do not always believe in the Westerner's core values of patient autonomy and self-determination. Knowledge of these cultural differences is fundamental if critical care nurses wish to provide appropriate and culturally competent information regarding end-of-life decisions.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Asian / ethnology
  • Asian / statistics & numerical data
  • Attitude of Health Personnel / ethnology
  • Attitude to Death / ethnology
  • Attitude to Health / ethnology
  • Black or African American / ethnology
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Clinical Competence
  • Communication
  • Critical Care* / organization & administration
  • Critical Care* / psychology
  • Cultural Diversity*
  • Decision Making
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Hispanic or Latino / ethnology
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Indians, North American / ethnology
  • Indians, North American / statistics & numerical data
  • Nurse-Patient Relations
  • Nursing Staff, Hospital / education
  • Nursing Staff, Hospital / organization & administration
  • Nursing Staff, Hospital / psychology
  • Patient Advocacy / education
  • Patient Advocacy / psychology
  • Personal Autonomy
  • Terminal Care* / organization & administration
  • Terminal Care* / psychology
  • Transcultural Nursing / education
  • Transcultural Nursing / organization & administration
  • Truth Disclosure
  • United States
  • White People / ethnology
  • White People / statistics & numerical data