Delgado, Deborah A.

Introduction: Inclusive hair and skin care are essential for culturally congruent health care; however, hospitalized patients with textured hair and skin of color experience limited access to appropriate products. Nursing staff also report gaps in knowledge related to culturally responsive care of hair and skin. This initiative aimed to improve care through product access and education. Methods: A quality improvement project was conducted at a Midwestern academic medical center. Surveys of nurses, patient care assistants, and employee resource groups informed product selection and education design. Interventions included stocking products and providing education supported by a webpage and video library. Results: Post-education evaluations showed increased knowledge of hair and skin care, along with improved confidence and ability to provide culturally sensitive care. Discussion: Addressing hair and skin care through access to products and education enhances patient care. This model offers a replicable framework to improve inclusive hair and skin care practices.

In an environment of changing demographics and health care disparities, it is essential that nurses continue to develop competence in providing care across cultures. This article presents the findings of a pilot project to measure and compare self-reported cultural competence scores before and after participation in one of the core classes of a cultural competence curriculum. Cultural competence of the staff of a patient care unit ( N = 98) was assessed prior to the class, at 3 months, and at 6 months posteducation using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals–Revised. The results demonstrated that following an educational intervention the participants self-reported a statistically significant increase ( p = .03) in cultural competence within the category range of cultural awareness. Providing cultural competence education may better equip nurses to care for patients from diverse cultures.