A REVIEW OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN HEALTHCARE

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:'Cultural competence' is a familiar term to those who serve in the health care sector or other human services professions. 'Culturally- competent care' is a phrase used to mean that a professional has completed the training with regards to interactions with those from diverse backgrounds. Culturally competent care entails an acceptance of the individual and humility related to differences that may exist. It is a complex phenomenon, and health care professionals are charged with the task of providing culturally competent care with varying degrees of education related to this task. Culturally competent care is important to any patient who has ever encountered the health care system.LITERATURE REVIEW:Cultural competence is a key component to the delivery of the health care system in the United States. The percent of the US population considered to be culturally diverse continues to increase (US Census Bureau, 2016). Despite the increase, there is significant evidence that those from culturally -diverse backgrounds face health disparities and poor health outcomes (Robinson, Benzies, Cairns, Tak, & Tough, 2016; Yanez, McGinty, Buitrago, Ramirez, & Penedo, 2016). Evidence suggests that providing culturally competent health care is the strongest method to combat the health disparities (Brusin, 2012; Noe, Kaufman, Kaufmann, Brooks, & Shore, 2014). Educational programs around the globe lack a standardized approach in teaching cultural competence (Prosen, 2015), even though the first curriculum for cultural competency was written in 1986 (Campinha-Bacote, 2006). There is an urgent need to address the cultural competency in the health care system as preventive care becomes an integral part of the new US health care system. There is a very large gap in meeting the needs of the culturally diverse patients that encounter numerous health disparities, and culturally competent health care providers can bridge that gap.There are many tools exist to teach cultural competency, including reflective journaling, workshops, immersion programs, service learning programs, and providing direct care to the underserved. These programs target the groups from student level to professional level, and the goal is to increase cultural competence. The professional who is trained in cultural competence, then provides culturally competent care to diverse patient groups in a manner that helps eliminate health disparities.The current system lacks the effect that is needed to dramatically decrease health disparities in culturally diverse groups. It is necessary to determine a method of teaching cultural competence that will have the much needed effect required for the US health care system. An educational standard related to cultural competence could be the key solution to decreasing and eliminating health disparities.The literature review concentrated on cultural competence education research published within the last five years using CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar search engine which included disciplines such as education, psychology, medicine, and social work. The subsequent terms were searched independently and collectively: culture, cultural, competence, and education. Inclusion criteria included the following: education on cultural competence, pre- and post- test quantitative analysis, qualitative reflections and analysis, expert reports, perceptions related to cultural competence change, or attempts to provide an educational model within a curriculum.METHODOLOGY:The literature is ripe with information on cultural competence and cultural competence education and interventions, and the first search provided a plethora of results. Due to the timeliness of the review, the first fifty abstracts were read and reviewed for appropriateness. Upon further culling of the data, 32 abstracts were eliminated because they focused on assessing the cultural competence of individuals, but they did not mention an intervention to change the cultural competence of individuals. …