Improving Healthcare Using Culture Competence

The subject of cultural competence is broad, especially when healthcare comes into the picture. The implementation of cultural competence is significant for bettering the healthcare system. The language barrier is perhaps one of the largest issues that can be solved with cultural competence. Jennifer Bea, PhD, associate professor at the College of Medicine in Tucson, stated: “If it’s me bombarding a research participant with my Western way, are they going to open up to me? Or are they going to open up to someone who can relate to their culture and language fluidly?... Some people really need both to be more comfortable sharing sensitive things…” This proves that breaking down the language barrier in the healthcare community is essential for providing more compassionate and effective care to patients, while at the same time decreasing disparities between privileged and underrepresented communities. There are multiple ways to improve cultural competence.

According to the National Library of Medicine, there are five main interventions to improve the state of cultural competence:

• Programs to recruit more diverse staff members

• Training dedicated to cultural competency for staff

• Hiring interpreters to close the language barrier as much as possible

• Health materials that are culturally appropriate for different backgrounds

• Providing the proper healthcare settings fit for multiple cultures

Furthermore, other factors include education and training, patient-centered care, an increasingly diverse workforce, involving the community, and improving data collection. Education plays a key role, as training sessions cover topics such as awareness and strong communication. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has pointed out the need for implementing cultural diversity, and lectures at the Alliance of Continuing Medical Education were developed to magnify awareness in students. Patient-centered care is a method where physicians adapt to the patient’s cultural preferences when it comes to care plans. Increasing diversity in the workforce can also account for the needs of multicultural healthcare and helps in addressing “the unique needs of a diverse patient population.” The community can be a huge support as well. When the community is involved in healthcare, organizations and leaders can give their insights and provide funds for certain projects. Organizations are also able to learn more about the community they serve and send surveys that target certain populations. In this way, more knowledge is obtained for physicians to meet the needs of patients. Collecting data is also beneficial in finding what needs to be solved and whether or not interventions are efficient.

Using some of these methods, benefits are effective. It has also been shown that more nurses and doctors who are women or belong to ethnic minorities improve the effectiveness of healthcare. There is also evidence that patients who received care from doctors of the same race were better satisfied than those who received care from doctors of a different race. This is due to the patient’s trust in their provider because of confidence that their provider understands their background and is considerate of their situation. Using interpreters has also been proven to ease patients in clinics and clear confusions.

References:

How Cultural Understanding Can Improve Health Care for All | The University of Arizona Health Sciences [Internet]. healthsciences.arizona.edu. Available from: https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/connect/stories/how-cultural-understanding-can-improve-health-care-all 

How to Reduce Health Disparities with Cultural Competency [Internet]. www.qualityinteractions.com. [cited 2024 Jul 30]. Available from: https://www.qualityinteractions.com/blog/how-to-reduce-health-disparities-with-cultural-competency 

Tulane University. How to improve cultural competence in health care [Internet]. publichealth.tulane.edu. Tulane University; 2021. Available from: https://publichealth.tulane.edu/blog/cultural-competence-in-health-care/ 

Nair L, Adetayo OA. Cultural Competence and Ethnic Diversity in Healthcare. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open [Internet]. 2019 May 16;7(5). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6571328/ 

New Course: Cultural Competence [Internet]. Hometown Health University. Available from: https://hthu.net/culturalnew/ 

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