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To facilitate safe care, nurses must understand their own culture and the impact this may have on patient care. Respect for cultural differences enables patients to maintain their autonomy.
Empowerment is an essential nursing concept when providing care in an ethical manner. In a bicultural society like New Zealand, each of the two main cultures - M â ori and P â kehâ - has an equal right to be empowered when receiving nursing care; however, this may mean different things for the two cultures. Patient empowerment may be achieved through education, the participation of patients and their family in their treatment plan, and incorporating traditions and beliefs into their care.
To achieve this, cultural safety and effective communication are essential. This article will analyse how empowerment can support nurses' ethical practice in a bicultural society and improve nursing outcomes.
The nursing role refers to more than just providing care and comfort. It also incorporates health promotion and preventing illness, and aims to treat the individual holistically.1 Caring refers to actions the patient perceives as appropriate, relevant and individualised to their needs.1 This may include competence and skill, honesty, timely care and understanding the patient's uniqueness. The nursing concept of empowerment refers to the patient's ability to make decisions and retain autonomy during their treatment or care.2 Empowerment is an aspect of ethical nursing practice.
Mâori and Pâkehâ have experienced significant differences throughout their history, beginning with colonisation. One of the aims of the Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, was to protect Mâori rights and property. Dishonouring of the Treaty has meant Mâori continue to experience significant inequality, racism and loss of culture.3 The Nursing Council states that the poor health status of Mâori "is the result of the negative experiences by Mâori of colonisation processes, which resulted in a loss of cultural beliefs and practices and the Mâori language".4 The Ministry of Health has identified several factors that put Mâori more at risk of poorer health than non-Mâori. These include lower socio-economic status, living in more deprived neighbourhoods, poorer diet and reduced access to health care.5 Some of these inequalities may also be due to cultural differences. The European-based education system imposed monocultural practices and contributed to the loss of Mãori language.6...