The United States Does CAIR About Cultural Safety: Examining Cultural Safety Within Indigenous Health Contexts in Canada and the United States

Abstract

Purpose This article examines the concept and use of the term cultural safety in Canada and the United States. Design To examine the uptake of cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, cultural competence, and cultural safety between health organizations in Canada and the United States, we reviewed position statements/policies of health care associations. Findings The majority of selected health associations in Canada include cultural safety within position statements or organizational policies; however, comparable U.S. organizations focused on cultural sensitivity and cultural competence. Discussion Through the work of the Center for American Indian Resilience, we demonstrate that U.S. researchers engage with the tenets of cultural safety—despite not using the language. Conclusions We recommend that health care providers and health researchers consider the tenets of cultural safety. Implications for Practice To address health disparities between American Indian populations and non–American Indians, we urge the adoption of the term and tenets of cultural safety in the United States.

Enhancing cultural safety among undergraduate nursing students through watching documentaries

“…Current scholars, however, argue that early iterations of cultural theorizing in nursing were grounded in essentialist views of culture that frequently conflated culture with race, ethnicity, and/or religion (Darroch et al, 2017;Garneau & Pepin, 2015;Mkandawire-Valhmu, 2018). This kind of theorizing is thus more problematic than valuable.…”

“…People of African descent, for instance, have a strong sense of identity that might be viewed as a mechanism for coping and surviving to help buffer their experiences of oppression particularly in US society (Romero, Edwards, Fryberg, & Orduña, ). Current scholars, however, argue that early iterations of cultural theorizing in nursing were grounded in essentialist views of culture that frequently conflated culture with race, ethnicity, and/or religion (Darroch et al., ; Garneau & Pepin, ; Mkandawire‐Valhmu, ). This kind of theorizing is thus more problematic than valuable.…”

Building Bridges Through Understanding the Village Workshop: Transforming Nursing Students' Perspectives of Indigenous People and Canadian History - Atelier « Building Bridges Through Understanding the Village » : Transformer la vision qu’ont les étudiantes en sciences infirmières des peuples autochtones et de l’histoire du Canada

“…Cultural competence Fusing cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity, it is the application of the skills, knowledge and attitudes of practitioners to enhance crosscultural communication (A.N.A.C., 2009;Darroch et al, 2017). This step involves the practitioner examining their own culture.…”

Cultural Safety Training for Health Professionals Working with Indigenous Populations in Montreal, Québec

“…The concept originated in the 1980s in New Zealand as a means to provide more appropriate health services for Maori people (Nursing Council of New Zealand, 2011). It is a combination of cultural awareness (acknowledging the differences between cultures), cultural sensitivity (respect towards other cultures), and cultural competency (effective work with diverse populations through appropriate behaviours, attitudes, and policies (Brascoupé & Waters, 2009;Darroch et al, 2017). The term made its way into Canadian literature in the early 2000s via the National Aboriginal Health Organization and the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada (Schill & Caxaj, 2019).…”