Brief on upcoming Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing article, Transcultural Nursing Principles: An Application to Hospice Care

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recipients of hospice care are from various creeds, beliefs and cultural backgrounds. Each deserves compassionate and competent care - care that is meaningful to each family. To assist the practitioner in fulfilling this hospice mission, Jenko and Moffitt distill the theory and skills of cultural competence in a recently published journal article. Using Giger and Davidhizer's Transcultural Assessment Model as a format, the article provides a comprehensive overview of transcultural principles. Three specific areas, often laden with cultural issues, are also explored: sharing bad news, locus of decision making, and advance directives. The goal of the article, according to author Mimi Jenko, MN RN CHPN, was to distill the vast amount of scholarly literature into a readable and concise format and to equip busy practitioners with skills that could be immediately implemented. "I was the nurse described in the article's opening paragraph," she states, "and I nearly undermined three days rapport with a wonderfully caring family. I wanted to share my 'near-miss' experience, hoping to help practitioners become more aware of their words and actions, and the resulting effects on our patients." The article, "Transcultural Nursing Principles: An Application to Hospice Care" will appear in the May/ June issue of the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing.