Paper: Patients' Perception of Ethnically Diverse Nurses (40th Biennial Convention (October 31st- November 4th, 2009))

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Wanida P. Wanant, PhD, RN
Janice S. Smith, PhD, RN, CNE
Division of Nursing, Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA

Learning Objective 1: Explore the relationship between diverse nurse population and quality of care. retention.

Learning Objective 2: Apply knowledge to the policy development regarding nursing shortage recruitment and

Across the United States, health care facilities are struggling to fill vacancies for Registered Nurses due to the recognized nursing shortage. As a result, recruitment and retention of non-American nurses is sought by many organizations in an effort to alleviate staffing demands. The result is the increasing of ethnically diverse nursing population. While there is substantial research on the diversity of nurses caring for patients, there are few studies that explore patients’ perception or attitude toward ethnically diverse nurses and cultural factors the patient perceives may affect the quality of care.

Using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, the researchers will investigate the patients’ perception of ethnically diverse nurses and cultural factors that may affect the quality of care. Face- to- face interviews will be used to elicit patients’ view of ethnically diverse nurses. Questionnaires will also be used to identify cultural factors that patients perceive as important and may affect the quality of care. Leininger’s theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality Model will be used to guide this study. It is expected that the findings will be the basis for understanding of cultural factors that may affect the quality of care given by ethnically diverse nurses. The study will be started immediately after the approval by Shenandoah University HSRB.
Johnson, R. L., Somnath, S., Arbelaez, J. J., Beach, M. C., & Cooper, L. A., (2004). Racial and ethnic differences in patient perceptions of bias and cultural competence in health care. Journal of General Internal Medicine 19, 101-110.
Napoles-Springer, A. M.,Santoyo, J., Houston, K., Perez-Stable, E.J., & Stewart, A. L., (2005). Patients perceptions of cultural factors affecting the quality of their medical encounters. Health Expectations, 8, 4-17.

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