A Biblically Based Model of Cultural Competence in Healthcare Delivery.

The denial of absolute truth is one of the most outstanding and pervasive characteristics of 20th century thinking (Cottrell, 2002). Nurses and other healthcare professionals are encouraged to tolerate all worldviews of their clients and not to assume that there is only one right worldview when treating a client. This predicament of cultural relativism means that we cannot be 100% certain of truth. However, 100% certainty is not necessary in order for one to have strong conviction or to have moral certainty as to the meaning of truth with a position. It is the position of this paper that there is a biblical understanding of truth that can help to guide nurses in effectively caring for culturally and ethnically diverse clients. The intent of this article is to provide the discipline and practice of nursing with transcultural truth that is biblically based. It is my hope that stimulation and a greater awareness of the attention and the need to incorporate biblical beliefs will help one to become more culturally competent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]