Cultural Competence in End-of-Life Care

1. What Is Culture?

In this chapter, we define culture and describe the possibility of cultural conflict between health care provider and patient. Cultural humility is highlighted as an essential quality of personal reflection for all health care team members in order to identify potential biases and conflicts that may arise with patients and families.

2. An Evidence-Based Cultural Assessment

This chapter includes a description of the CONFHER assessment tool and questions to ask for each category. Additionally, it is important to explore specific death rituals with patients and families in order to collaborate and companion well during the dying process.

3. How Culture Informs End-of-Life Care

This chapter acknowledges the varied perspectives on death and dying. One’s culture—including but not limited to religious views—informs how one thinks and feels about illness, treatment, dying, and the afterlife. Conducting assessments throughout the patient’s entire length of stay is necessary, as perspectives evolve as the patient’s condition changes.

4. What Does Cultural Competence Look Like?

In this chapter, we describe the qualities of culturally competent caregivers. Accomplished caregivers respect and understand the necessity to accept individuals with differing beliefs and worldviews. This chapter includes a conversation with a hospice social worker and her experience with cultural competence.