NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 4

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Capella university

NURS-FPX4015 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment: A Holistic Approach to Patient-Centered Care

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Date

Caring for Special Populations Teaching Presentation

African Americans are one of the biggest racial minority groups in the United States and have a complicated history bound in systemic inequities. They perceive these historical and societal factors to influence their healthcare experiences and outcomes. Hypertension, diabetes, cancer, maternal mortality, and other health disparities occur more frequently in African Americans than among whites. Culture can affect how people behave, such as with health or preferences during care. This presentation will describe the characteristics, cultural values, healthcare needs, disparities, and effective nursing strategies for providing culturally competent care to African American people.

Introduction to the Concerned Population 

African Americans consist of a rich and diverse culture and a complex and biased history. Aware that their healthcare needs depend on socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and cultural beliefs. African American culture has one key characteristic: family and community are important for health behaviors and decisions. They also tend to give a great deal of importance to spirituality and religion because they give a great deal of emotional support and coping mechanisms, especially in health challenges (Omenka et al., 2020). Despite that, healthcare disparities persist for African Americans. For example, African American women experience elevated rates of maternal death and adverse pregnancy outcomes, as statistics show that Black women aged 30 to 34 have a maternal mortality rate more than four times higher than that of White women (Njoku et al., 2023).

However, there are factors, including geographic location, insurance, and institutional racism, that keep access to quality care limited. Moreover, there is historical mistrust of the medical system, which stems from past abuses such as the Tuskegee Syphilis study, which has resulted in reluctance to seek care and be part of clinical research (Shukla et al., 2025). These disparities must be addressed with culturally competent care. Information about historical context and the use of the family unit in care plans can improve health in young children. Finally, nurses should recognize the importance of spirituality and work to offer care that respects African American patients’ values and beliefs.

Cultural Values and Beliefs Related to Healthcare

Cultural values and beliefs shape healthcare experiences for African Americans. An individual relies on family as their support system, and healthcare decisions are made for them by the family instead of just by the individual (Obringer, 2022). Many African American communities strongly believe that family cohesion is important and often consult family members in healthcare decisions. It may also affect patient preferences concerning care options and participation of healthcare providers. Finally, spirituality and religion are important to many African Americans’ lives and impact their health behaviors and decisions.

For many African Americans, faith and prayer are turned to in times of illness, and they may accept healthcare interventions as complementary to spiritual healing (Siler et al., 2021). Such spiritual beliefs are important, respected, and supported, as they can greatly affect treatment adherence and patient satisfaction. Additionally, some African Americans may opt for traditional healing or alternative therapies along with conventional care. As part of this, they use herbal remedies or consult with community elders or spiritual leaders. These practices allow healthcare providers to offer culturally appropriate care that respects and includes patients’ beliefs and ensures that proper medical treatments are followed.

Healthcare Inequities Faced by Racial Minorities

Systemic inequalities, together with social factors that determine health status, cause healthcare disparities to continue affecting African Americans. The population faces higher risks for developing chronic health conditions that include hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease in comparison to white Americans. The combination of racial discrimination through time and insufficient healthcare access, together with economic disparities and enduring stress, produces these health outcomes.

Yearby et al. (2022) show that in 2019, only 66% of White workers received health insurance through their employers, compared to 47% of Black workers, while structural racism remained the main reason behind the 1.5 times higher uninsured rate for Black people. African American women experience extremely high maternal death rates that are about four times higher than those of White women (Njoku et al., 2023). Social inequalities starting from poverty levels extend to education discrepancies as well as unstable housing and restricted access to healthcare services.

African Americans experience adverse health outcomes due to multiple health-related social determinants, including poverty-stricken communities, limited food access areas, unsafe living conditions, and limited transport options. Discrimination alongside implicit bias that exists within healthcare networks creates mistrust as well as unequal service, which results in African Americans delaying medical care and breaking treatment protocols (Shukla et al., 2025). In addition, a historical legacy of medical exploitation fosters ongoing fear and skepticism toward healthcare providers. A solution to these disparities needs a full system approach that will handle medical requirements and the social needs of African American communities. Culturally sensitive care, systemic changes advocacy, and community-based health initiative investment are necessary for health equity achievement.

Techniques for Culturally Competent Nursing Care 

To provide culturally competent nursing care to African Americans, nurses must actively develop methods that create trust relationships and honor cultural practices while resolving healthcare inequalities. Important strategies include:

• Respectful communication that recognizes past medical mistreatment of African Americans. This approach directs attention to the healthcare disparity caused by historical events that led to distrust of healthcare institutions. Nurses should achieve transparency through extended treatment plan explanations and actively validating patient concerns. The development of trust reduces patient behaviors that delay medical care and treatment noncompliance (Shukla et al., 2025). 
• Healthcare professionals should integrate faith-based support with spiritual practices to provide care. Many African American community members identify spirituality as an essential cultural value. Nurses should offer to work with chaplains or recommend adding prayer sessions and spiritual counseling to patient care plans (Harvin et al., 2020). When nurses understand their patients’ spiritual needs, they enhance their comfort and coping abilities while improving their involvement in healthcare services.
• The referral system for community resources helps patients overcome healthcare barriers, such as transportation access challenges, food insecurity, and healthcare service limitations. The healthcare system exposes numerous hurdles to African American patients, which produce worse chronic disease results. Nurses should address outside health determinants affecting poor outcomes by helping patients access transportation, community medical centers, and nutritional resources (Tiase et al., 2022). 

The connection between healthcare barriers and cultural strengths in these strategies makes nursing care culturally competent and more likely to achieve health equity. Implementing these strategies allows nurses to provide better healthcare to African American patients with respect and equity through effective delivery, which produces improved outcomes.

Case Studies: Practicing Culturally Competent Nursing

Multiple research examples demonstrate culturally sensitive nursing practices that matter when treating the African American population. In one example, a study aimed to assess whether a faith-based self-management education program could improve self-care behaviors for hypertension management in African American adults. The eight-week program included hypertension management techniques and spiritual practices for ten participants with hypertension diagnoses for at least six months (Harvin et al., 2020). The nursing staff built culturally sensitive care by incorporating spiritual practices, including prayer, scripture reading, and journaling throughout the hypertension management program because these practices matter strongly to many African Americans. Research participants experienced increased trust and enhanced participation levels, improving hypertension self-care outcomes.

Some other narratives from personal experience are as follows: Working in a primary care clinic, I cared for an African American patient with uncontrolled hypertension. My understanding of spiritual needs prompted me to connect my patient with church members for support in health modification while acknowledging their faith, strengthening trust, and making blood pressure control and medication compliance more successful. In another example, my colleague observed an African American emergency department patient, where she noticed hesitation from the patient during discharge education. Recognizing potential mistrust, the nurse dedicated additional time to explain the treatment plan in detail, using open-ended questions and inviting a family member to participate in the discussion. The culturally appropriate communication method made the patient feel respected, leading to stronger follow-up adherence.

Valuable Resources for Further Learning 

Nurses seeking to enhance their cultural competence when caring for African American patients can access several valuable resources. Through its continuing education programs, workshops, and conferences, the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) provides services to enhance African American community healthcare (Dawson, 2021). The American Nurses Association (ANA) delivers training modules through its diversity and inclusion program, which teaches health disparity recognition and culturally appropriate healthcare delivery methods. Free evidence-based Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) training through the Think Cultural Health program is available online.

The training modules from the program enable nurses to understand cultural beliefs while helping them solve communication problems and defend equal healthcare opportunities (Think Cultural Health, n.d.). Nurses can join local health initiatives like faith-based outreach programs and African American church partnerships to gain practical experience in culturally appropriate care. Nursing professionals who utilize these resources will establish better connections with African American patients and expand their knowledge of cultural practices, becoming better health equity advocates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, providing culturally competent care for African American patients requires nurses to understand and respect their cultural values, historical experiences, and the healthcare disparities they face. Nurses can significantly improve patient outcomes by building trust, acknowledging the importance of spirituality, addressing social determinants of health, and advocating for equitable treatment. Real-world examples and evidence-based strategies show that culturally responsive care strengthens the nurse-patient relationship and promotes health equity. Ongoing education, self-awareness, and engagement with community resources are essential for professional growth. Nurses can be critical in reducing disparities and fostering better health for African American communities through a commitment to culturally competent care.

References

Dawson, M. A. (2021). Black nurses collaborative approach to addressing COVID-19 in Black communities. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-00987-9 

Harvin, L. A., Winter, D. M., Hoover, E. L., & Lewis, L. M. (2020). A faith-based intervention to improve hypertension management among African Americans. Journal of Christian Nursing, 37(1), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.0000000000000676 

Njoku, A., Evans, M., Nimo-Sefah, L., & Bailey, J. (2023). Listen to the whispers before they become screams: Addressing Black maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Healthcare, 11(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030438

NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 4

Obringer, K. (2022). African American family members’ needs and experiences during a loved one’s end-of-life. Illinois State University. Theses and Dissertations. https://doi.org/10.30707/etd2023.20230711063202575583.999952 

Omenka, O. I., Watson, D. P., & Hendrie, H. C. (2020). Understanding the healthcare experiences and needs of African immigrants in the United States: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-8127-9

Shukla, M., Schilt-Solberg, M., & Gibson-Scipio, W. (2025). Medical mistrust: A concept analysis. Nursing Reports, 15(3), 103–103. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep15030103

Siler, S., Arora, K., Doyon, K., & Fischer, S. M. (2021). Spirituality and the illness experience: Perspectives of African American older adults. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, 38(6), 618–625. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909120988280

Think Cultural Health. (n.d.). Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in nursing. Thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov. https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/nursing/

Tiase, V., Crookston, C. D., Schoenbaum, A., & Valu, M. (2022). Nurses’ role in addressing social determinants of health. Nursing, 52(4), 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nurse.0000823284.16666.96 

NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 4

Yearby, R., Clark, B., & Figueroa, J. F. (2022). Structural racism in historical and modern US health care policy. Health Affairs, 41(2), 187–194. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01466