The Culturally Competent Health Care Workforce

Cultural competency aids in closing the “disparities gap” in health care. ("OMH," 2012, para. 2) In doing so, health professionals and their clients are better able to discuss concerns without cultural differences getting in the way of effective communication and problem solving. Being respectful of and sensitive to the client’s health beliefs, culture, values, and diverse needs can bring positive outcomes within treatment and patient care. After all, is it not the main job of the health care provider to ensure patient trust? Open forms of communication when dealing with client issues can only be provided if the patient is comfortable with his provider and believes his

Adapting to different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility and a respect for others view points. Cultural competence means to really listen to the patient, to find out and learn about the patient's beliefs of health and illness. To provide culturally appropriate care we need to know and to understand culturally influenced health behaviors. However, becoming culturally competent is a much more daunting task. Culture (and ethnicity) often influences a patient’s perceptions of health and illness. Therefore, if healthcare providers appear insensitive to cultural diversity, their actions may negatively affect the quality of the healthcare that they provide.

Cultural competency is a set of appropriate behaviours, attitudes and policies among professionals and enables them to work efficiently in cross-cultural situations (NCCC, 2006). A culturally competent health care system can eliminate cultural inequities, provide greater quality of care, and have less patient dissatisfaction and more positive health consequences. A conclusion reached in a study (Palafox et al., 2002) states, culture influences the outcome of medical examination and; therefore, it is vital to provide culturally competent health care services. Cultural competency is especially important in the context of radiographic examination due to the variety of culturally different patients a radiographer comes in contact. The following case study effectively highlights the impact of cultural competency.

Cultural competence in health care describes the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring health care delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs. The need for healthcare systems to increase cultural competence and personalize care for ethnic patient minorities should not be ignored. Healthcare systems should promote better understanding and communication between diverse ethnic patients and caregivers. Hospitals should design a system that caters to the needs of all the populations they serve and not just apply a one-size-fits-all approach. Becoming a culturally competent health care organization is a critical component in reducing health care disparities.

Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-García differentiate cultural humility and cultural competence based upon the longevity involved in the pursuit of expertise in both concepts. They insinuate that cultural competence is based primarily on facts that generalize the behaviors of minorities and low-income populations receiving health care services. On the contrary, cultural humility places more importance on the provider’s personal awareness of their response to the individual needs of patients without constricting guidelines that overlook challenges involved in meeting their health concerns. Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-García mentioned that there is not an adequate amount of medical training aimed towards exposure to diverse populations.

Even when access-associated factors, such as insurance and income are considered, minorities continue to have higher rates of disease with shorter life expectancy. They tend to have a poorer quality of health care than non-minorities, increasing the demand and importance of culturally competent health care in the United States. The ability of the healthcare provider to communicate with his or her patient's aides in discouraging barriers to accessing healthcare.

The text list several factors that contribute to healthcare disparities, social, economic status, access to medical care, lack of insurance, unemployment, lack of knowledge of healthcare processes and procedures within society, transportation issues and many other factors that contribute to healthcare disparities. Being knowledgeable of cultural competency has several advantages, cultural competence provides relief to the patient when the patient feels comfortable with their physician a bond is developed and patients are less likely to file malpractice claims. Displaying cultural competency increases the quality of services and patient satisfaction.

Working as a Case Manager (CM) for a Medicaid-based Health Insurance has brought me in contact with patients of varied cultures, languages and races. As a CM For Metro Plus Health Plan, my responsibility is to teach High Risk pregnant women about their diseases, encourage them to stay in care with their Primary Care Physician/Obstetricians, explain the importance of taking their medications as prescribed, and adhering to all their providers plan of care, with the goal of encouraging these patient’s to become responsible and active participants in their own care. I have been able to directly observe as a clinician, how cultural competence can positively impact not only the relationship between my patients and I, but also the level of care I am able to provide.

On the other hand, it was necessary to have a more culturally competent workforce since 2002. As a solution strategy, some states have been coping with this problem. In 2011, the Oregon

Cultural competency not only encompasses race or ethnicity, but a quality of care for all individuals. Studies illustrate that cultural competency is currently lacking in the health care field; this results in the disparities that exist among the minority population with low

Stage 4 focuses on the rationale for providing culturally competent health care to refugee's. Cultural competence relates to a set of behaviours or attitudes that enable the health care system to provide a high quality of equitable care to all groups within society (Germov, 2014). Based on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) a refugee is defined as someone who

To provide our patients with quality care, increase access to care and to help them to understand and change behavior patterns that could put their wellbeing at risk, we need to develop our cultural competency skills as the lack of knowledge of other cultures can create obstacles. A diverse demographic also extends to workplaces and is the norm nowadays. Many healthcare providers are of a different cultural and ethnic background than the patients they are treating. Therefore every health service encounter is a cross-cultural experience. Sensitivity and understanding to others can prevent misunderstandings, assumptions and miscommunications that would otherwise leas to cultural complexities(6,

Strategies for creating a culturally diverse healthcare workforce would be to simply come together as one. One must have an understanding of others culture and background as well as respect. As a future health professional they must be able to support one another physically and emotionally. This is what you call team work. When one falls down you must be able to pick that person up as physical support. You motivate each other to strive for greatness. I believe that if this were to happen within the workforce there would be more unity instead of

Without proper training, nurses may deliver care without understanding how health beliefs and cultural practices influence the way advice is received. Ineffective communication could potentially cause stress upon both parties and burden of care can result in a breakdown in the relationship between the care provider and the patient, spiraling down into situations of neglect, abuse, and worsening health. Asking about patient’s religious, cultural, and ethnic customs help nurses engage patients so that together, they can devise treatment plans that are consistent with the patient’s values. With this being done, a culturally competent healthcare system can help improve health outcomes and quality of care. It can also contribute to the elimination of racial and ethnic health

Defined as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural and linguistic needs (Georgetown University, 2004) Cultural competence is an ideal that spans across not only healthcare, but also law enforcement. Utilizing the same mindset as the healthcare industry, law enforcement has the dubious task of deciphering how to provide a service meant for all and ensure that the needs of all citizens and businesses are met. According to Terry Cross (1988), culturally competent agencies are characterized by acceptance and respect for difference, continuing self-assessment regarding culture, careful attention to the dynamics of difference, continuous expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, and a variety of adaptations to service models in order to better meet the needs of minority populations. The culturally competent agency works to hire unbiased employees, seeks advice and consultation from the minority community and actively decides what it is and is not capable of providing to minority clients.