The interface of anthropology and nursing guiding culturally competent care in psychiatric nursing

Nurses and all health care providers are called on to involve patients and families in health care decision-making and to accommodate culturally diverse populations. This article describes the Interface of Anthropology and Nursing Model (IAN), which is derived from the works of Kleinman and Peplau, classical theorists from anthropology and nursing, respectively. This model provides a framework for nurses to uncover cultural information through the elicitation, analysis, transfer, restructure, and feedback of explanatory models within the interpersonal nurse-patient relationship. Such integration of theory enhances a holistic nursing practice incorporating good communication, mutual decision making, and fostering patient agency.