Cultural Competency Challenges Certified Nursing Assistants Experience in Providing Palliative Care.

Purpose: Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in U.S. nursing facilities has necessitated the provision of more culturally competent care. This study explored the cultural challenges in providing palliative care from the perspective of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and nurses in nursing facilities.

Method: A thematic analysis approach was used to examine data from semi-structured interviews with 12 CNAs and 11 nurses from six nursing facilities in a U.S. Midwestern state.

Results: Four themes emerged from the data: Cultural Needs Expressed by Residents, Cultural Needs Expressed by Family Members, Accommodating Residents' Cultural Needs, and Organizational Responses to Cultural Competency Challenges.

Conclusion: Results highlighted the training variations on diversity and cultural competency issues and the varying cultural competency levels possessed by staff. To support residents' culture-related needs, staff need education and support. Organizations can provide foundational resources for this diversity of cultural expression, including providing more culturally diverse programming facilities. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(7), 35-41.].