According to (Hinkle & Cheever, 2014, p. 97) culturally competent care is defined “as effective, individualized care that demonstrates respect for dignity , the personal rights, preferences, beliefs and practices of the person receiving care, recognizing caregiver biases and preventing these biases from interfering with the care provided.” When caring for patients in a hospital setting today it is necessary to consider a variety of patients from different contexts. Health care providers should be aware of patients' culture, beliefs, and attitudes to provide quality care. The federal government's Office of Minority Health has developed a set of 14 principles called CLAS (culturally and linguistically appropriate services) standards, which are primarily aimed at healthcare organizations and are mandatory for all organizations that receive federal funds. The focus is on the terms of language services and efforts to provide information to patients in their own language through the availability of brochures, interpreters and other means. In this essay I would like to examine cultural considerations with emphasis on impaired verbal communication related to the language barrier, because I believe that the communication barrier can cause decreased quality of healthcare and poor patient satisfaction. Overview I had the opportunity to care for Patient XY, a 76-year-old Mandarin-speaking Chinese man who arrived from China a year ago with his wife and was living with his son and grandchildren until his recent hospital visit. Mr. X. Y was admitted to hospital complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. A CT pulmonary angiography was performed, which revealed that patient XY suffered from pulmonary embolism....... middle of paper ...... natural needs of their patients. In closing I would like to mention the opinion of transcultural nurse Prayer, by Dr. Lennininger, which briefly defines the meaning of transcultural nursing. Works Cited Fortier, J.P. Assuring Cultural Competent in Health Care. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/Assets/pdf/Check/Assuring_Cultural_Competence_in_Health_Care-1999.pdfDoenges, Marilyn E, Moorhouse, Mary Frances, Murr, Alice. (2008). Nurse's Pocket Guide. Philadelphia: FADavis Company.Hinkle, Janice L, Cheever, Kerry H. (2014). Brunner & Suddarth Manual of Medical-Surgical Nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kuwer/Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.Kurzen, Corrine R. (2009). Contemporary nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kuwer/Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.Purnell, Larry D, Paulanka, Betty J. (1998). Transcultural healthcare, a culturally competent approach.