Discovering cultural aspects of nurse-patient relationships.

The purpose of this article is to illuminate modes of inquiry that unconceal cultural aspects of the meaningful life-world of individuals. To present strategies for acquiring cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence based on insights gained from these modes of inquiry. Nurses can acquire and implement culturally competent patient care by inquiring into individual's personal interpretations of their life's world experiences rather than relying on catalogs of cultural attributes or by adhering to popularly held opinions. By following the procedures for augmenting culturally competent nursing outlined in this article nurses reported being able to provide a more culturally competent, higher quality of patient care.