Which action indicates the nurse is meeting a primary goal of culturally competent care for marginalized patients?

Choice A reason: Asking the family about normal behavior provides subjective context but lacks standardized cognitive assessment. Cognitive function requires objective tools like the MMSE to evaluate memory, orientation, and attention. Relying solely on family input risks missing subtle deficits, delaying diagnosis of conditions like dementia or delirium critical for patient management.

Choice B reason: Asking for name, location, and month tests orientation, a component of cognitive assessment, but is too limited. The MMSE offers a comprehensive evaluation of memory, language, and visuospatial skills. This narrow approach risks overlooking broader cognitive impairments, potentially missing early dementia or other neurological conditions requiring targeted interventions.

Choice C reason: The HHIE-S assesses hearing impairment, not cognitive function. Hearing loss may affect communication but isn’t a direct cognitive measure. Using this tool for cognition misdirects assessment, risking failure to identify cognitive deficits like memory loss, delaying diagnosis and management of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or acute confusional states.

Choice D reason: Administering the MMSE is a standardized, comprehensive tool to assess cognitive function, evaluating orientation, memory, attention, language, and visuospatial skills. It detects impairments in conditions like dementia or delirium, guiding diagnosis and treatment. Its structured approach ensures reliable identification of cognitive deficits, critical for planning care and interventions in clinical settings.

Choice A reason: Transpersonal connectedness involves a spiritual or transcendent bond beyond personal interaction, often with a higher power or universe. While spiritual care may include this, the nurse’s direct connection with the patient is more personal and relational, making interpersonal a more accurate description of the experienced connection.

Choice B reason: Multipersonal is not a recognized term in nursing or spiritual care contexts. It suggests multiple personal connections but lacks specificity. The nurse’s one-on-one connection with the patient during spiritual care is better described as interpersonal, focusing on their direct, personal interaction, making this incorrect.

Choice C reason: Intrapersonal connectedness refers to self-reflection or internal awareness, not a connection with another person. The nurse’s experience involves engaging with the patient, not self-focused introspection. This type does not apply to the relational aspect of providing spiritual care, making it an incorrect choice.

Choice D reason: Interpersonal connectedness occurs between two individuals, as when the nurse connects with the patient during spiritual care. This relational bond fosters trust, empathy, and support, aligning with the nurse’s role in addressing the patient’s spiritual needs through direct interaction, making this the correct type of connectedness experienced.