Cultural Competence Education Research Articles

Embracing diversity: the adequacy and importance of cultural competency education in medical school and residency

Embracing diversity: the adequacy and importance of cultural competency education in medical school and residency

The Effects of Reverse-Role Simulation on Nursing Students' Ethnocultural Empathy: A Quantitative Study.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of reverse-role simulation on nursing students' empathy levels toward ethnoculturally diverse patients. Empathy is an essential component of culturally competent care; however, it is often left out of cultural competence education. Enhancing nursing students' cultural empathy may benefit students and patients. The study used a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design in a private nursing school in the Northeast. The sample consisted of 37 undergraduate nursing students. Pretest and posttest scores were statistically different, indicating a significant increase in the students' ethnocultural empathy, t (36) = -3.20, p = .003. This study supports using reverse-role simulation as an effective teaching strategy to enhance nursing students' empathy toward ethnocultural diverse patients. Placing students in the "shoes" of an ethnoculturally diverse patient can increase their empathy levels and enhance cultural competence education.

Prioritizing and measuring social awareness within cultural competence education: An act to mitigate health disparities

Prioritizing and measuring social awareness within cultural competence education: An act to mitigate health disparities

The need for Hispanic cultural competency in drug abuse treatment training programs: An empirical and ethical evaluation of US universities

Ethical clinical practice requires cultural competency. In the United States, Hispanics report stronger attitudinal barriers to drug abuse treatment than any other racial/ethnic group. Hispanics report feeling that drug abuse treatment providers do not understand their unique cultural needs and are unfamiliar with their experiences of discrimination and immigration. Using this case study to explore broader ethical and policy issues, this study investigates the extent to which US universities train counselors to address the culturally specific needs of Hispanic patients and how this is reflected in practice in Los Angeles County. Based on a content analysis of the required courses, syllabi, and course descriptions at 30 universities related to culture/race/racism/ethnicity/diversity at the undergraduate and graduate levels on the addiction therapist track, and thematic analysis of eight in-depth interviews with counselors working in outpatient rehabilitation centers in Los Angeles, I argue that cultural competency education for drug abuse counselors is too surface level and infrequent to adequately prepare students for a career in addiction counseling for Hispanic clients. Significant changes must be made to how cultural diversity is valued and prioritized in the field of psychology to provide better care for Hispanic people with a substance use disorder and fulfill the moral obligation to eliminate this health disparity. Although this study focuses on counselors in Los Angeles, these findings are relevant for professionals and healthcare systems across the United States and beyond who seek to provide equitable and effective care for Hispanic patients.

Embedding cultural competency and cultural humility in undergraduate pharmacist initial education and training: a qualitative exploration of pharmacy student perspectives.

Emphasis has been placed upon embedding equity, diversity and inclusion within the initial education and training of healthcare professionals, like pharmacists. Yet, there remains limited understanding of how best to integrate cultural competency and cultural humility into undergraduate pharmacy student training. This qualitative study explored the views of pharmacy students to understand perspectives on, and identify recommendations for, embedding cultural competency and cultural humility within pharmacy education and training. Undergraduate pharmacy students from one UK-based School of Pharmacy were invited to participate in an in-person, semi-structured interview to discuss cultural competency in the pharmacy curriculum. Interviews were conducted between November 2022 and February 2023 and were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the development of themes. QSR NVivo (Version 12) facilitated data management. Ethical approval was obtained from the Newcastle University Ethics Committee. Twelve undergraduate pharmacist students, across all years of undergraduate training, were interviewed. Three themes were developed from the data, centring on: (1) recognising and reflecting on cultural competency and cultural humility; (2) gaining exposure and growing in confidence; and (3) thinking forward as a culturally competent pharmacist of the future. These findings offer actionable recommendations to align with the updated Initial Education and Training standards from the United Kingdom (UK) pharmacy regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council; specifically, how and when cultural competency teaching should be embedded within the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum. Future research should further explore teaching content, learning environments, and methods of assessing cultural competency.

The Changing Landscape of Intercultural Mindset in 616 Doctor of Physical Therapy Students Over the Past 7 Years and the Implications for Doctor of Physical Therapy Cultural Competence Education.

This prospective longitudinal study will report the results of a quantitative analysis of the change in Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) scores and the distribution of students in 5 orientations along the Intercultural Developmental Continuum (IDC) in 8 cohorts of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students during their academic preparation. The expanding interest in developing intercultural sensitivity in an increasingly more complex and diverse health care environment calls for the dissemination of research on the effectiveness of innovative curricular models that include psychometrically strong outcome measures. Research suggests that health care providers can develop intercultural sensitivity when provided with didactic knowledge, experiential learning, self-reflection, mentoring, and a systematic individualized development plan. The participants were from a sample of convenience of 616 DPT students from the graduating classes of 2015-2022. The study is a repeated-measure design. The IDI was selected to guide targeted intervention and assessment of intercultural sensitivity at an individual level and group level and was administered in semesters 3 and 8 as part of the DPT program course requirements. There was significant improvement in the IDI Perceived and Developmental Orientation (DO; P < .001) scores between semesters 3 and 8. There was a significant change (P = .0001) in the distribution of students along the 5 DOs of the IDC with 10% of students regressing 1 orientation, 51.7% of students remaining the same, 33.3% of students advancing 1 orientation, and 5% of students advancing 2 orientations along the IDC. Nearly 40% of participants had a positive shift along the IDC. The results of this study suggest that intercultural sensitivity or mindset, as measured by the IDI, can be developed in DPT students who participate in a targeted intercultural development curriculum based on the Process Model of Cultural Competence by Deardorff and the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity by Bennett.

Pharmacy faculty perspectives on Cultural Competence education in pharmacy schools

Background: Faculties that teach cultural competence are in a great position to identify training gaps and improve the depth of teaching for pharmacy students. Objective: To assess the perspective of faculty on their perceived confidence and extent of teaching cultural competence (CC) content in the pharmacy curricula. Methods: A cross-sectional study using an adapted version of the Self-assessment of Perceived Level of Cultural Competence (SAPLCC) questionnaire. Data analysis included factor-level and item-level analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Out of the 70 study participants, 77.1% were female and the average age was 47.97 (±10.52). Faculty with prior training reported a higher level of confidence to teach CC content in three areas, “addressing population health needs” (p = 0.007), “ recognising disparity-related discrimination” (p = 0.017), and “recognising social determinants of health” (p = 0.03). The faculty’s years of experience had a positive impact on both the extent of teaching CC and confidence. Conclusion: Study findings indicate a gap to address training needs for faculty development on CC to prepare students for an increasingly diverse patient population.

Cultural competency education in the medical curriculum to overcome health care disparities

Background Our increasingly diverse population demands the adoption of transcultural approaches to health care delivery. Training courses in medical education have been developed across the country for cultural competency, but have not been standardized or incorporated consistently. This study sought to formulate an educational intervention in medical training using the concepts of cultural competency and humility to improve understanding of cultural disparities in health care. Methods This study used three domains of Tools for Assessing Cultural Competence Training (TACCT) by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Participants included 106 fourth-year medical students and 19 internal medicine residents at Louisiana State University in Shreveport in 2022. The training session included a lecture introducing cultural and structural competency for 30 minutes followed by three workshops based on the TACCT domains of key aspects of cultural competence, understanding the impact of stereotyping on medical decision-making, and cross-cultural clinical skills. The participants were given a pre- and postsession questionnaire. Results After the session, 68% of students rated their understanding of cultural competency as excellent. For methods of teaching—lecture versus workshop versus both—66% rated the combination as excellent. Conclusion The rudimentary understanding of cultural competency and cultural humility improved after the session.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF NURSE LEADERS IN HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH INSTITUTIONS

Healthcare sector is a multidisciplinary approach especially in hospitals effective leadership also necessitates acknowledgement of circumstances nurses should realize that their leadership and cultural care is as important in providing quality care. Demographic changes reflect a multicultural population and increasing the diversity of the nation brings significant challenges in providing individualized and holistic care. Leadership requires the identification of desired change and is capable of encouraging others to instigate change. In order to increase the quality of care for patients, it is imperative that healthcare leaders recognize and grow the skills which are needed for the upcoming batch of nurse leaders. Recent trend, that has influenced nursing and health professional, concerning to focus on culturally competent care in intensive stress healthcare environments. Nursing and all health workers need to be trained in cultural competency; thus, this cultural competency education may minimize potential negative outcomes.

Beliefs around the causes of inequities and intergroup attitudes among health professional students before and after a course related to Indigenous Peoples and colonialism

BackgroundAddressing the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action on including anti-racism and cultural competency education is acknowledged within many health professional programs. However, little is known about the effects of a course related to Indigenous Peoples and colonialism on learners’ beliefs about the causes of inequities and intergroup attitudes.MethodsA total of 335 learners across three course cohorts (in 2019, 2020, 2022) of health professional programs (e.g., Dentistry/Dental Hygiene, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) at a Canadian university completed a survey prior to and 3 months following an educational intervention. The survey assessed gender, age, cultural identity, political ideology, and health professional program along with learners’ causal beliefs, blaming attitudes, support for social action and perceived professional responsibility to address inequities. Pre-post changes were assessed using mixed measures (Cohort x Time of measurement) analyses of variance, and demographic predictors of change were determined using multiple regression analyses. Pearson correlations were conducted to assess the relationship between the main outcome variables.ResultsOnly one cohort of learners reported change following the intervention, indicating greater awareness of the effects of historical aspects of colonialism on Indigenous Peoples inequities, but unexpectedly, expressed stronger blaming attitudes and less support for government social action and policy at the end of the course. When controlling for demographic variables, the strongest predictors of blaming attitudes towards Indigenous Peoples and lower support for government action were gender and health professional program. There was a negative correlation between historical factors and blaming attitudes suggesting that learners who were less willing to recognize the role of historical factors on health inequities were more likely to express blaming attitudes. Further, stronger support for government action or policies to address such inequities was associated with greater recognition of the causal effects of historical factors, and learners were less likely to express blaming attitudes.ConclusionThe findings with respect to blaming attitudes and lower support for government social action and policies suggested that educational interventions can have unexpected negative effects. As such, implementation of content to address the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action should be accompanied by rigorous research and evaluation that explore how attitudes are transformed across the health professional education journey to monitor intended and unintended effects.

451 A systematic review exploring cultural competence in pharmacy education

Abstract Introduction There is an increased need for a healthcare workforce that is culturally competent to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. This is important in the context of pharmaceutical care for patients, as the inability to recognise a patient’s health beliefs, which could be influenced by their cultural background, can lead to reduced medication adherence and poor treatment outcomes (1, 2). This review is registered with PROSPERO (Reference number CRD42021295875). Aim This systematic review aims to explore cultural competence teaching and training in pre-qualification pharmacy education. Methods This study is reported using the PRISMA Checklist. Medline, Scopus, PsychInfo, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, and Embase databases were systematically searched for studies that explored cultural competence in pharmacy education and were published in English from January 2012 to December 2021. Methodological quality of studies were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Data from included studies were thematically analysed. Results Overall, 47 papers (46 studies) were included in the review. Of these, 40 papers focused on interventions for teaching cultural competence to pharmacy students only, the remaining studies included students from pharmacy and other health discipline programmes. Half of the studies focused on cultural competence in general (n = 20, 50%), while the remaining studies focused on competence on specific aspects e.g. cultures, religions and disabilities. Most studies (n = 24, 60%) report implementation of interventions that took place over a week. Twenty-one studies reported that cultural competence interventions were compulsory. There were variations in how cultural competence is conceptualised in studies; some studies focused on the need to increase knowledge about different cultures or ‘knowing how’; other studies focused on behavioural aspects that would help students while they work with patients from diverse backgrounds, or ‘showing how’; some studies described cultural competence as a continuum that includes both ‘doing’ knowledge and behavioural aspects. Conclusion There is variation in how cultural competence is taught in pharmacy education programmes, which could be a consequence of differences in how authors conceptualised cultural competence. It is also challenging to know whether or not current interventions improve ‘cultural competency’ due a range of outcome measures used in the studies. Therefore, it is important to develop a set of key principles that underpin the understanding and operationalisation of the concept of cultural competence into the pre-qualification pharmacy curricula – this forms our future work. A limitation of the study was the inclusion of only papers written in English, which may therefore have inadvertently excluded relevant papers published in other languages. Additionally, grey literature was not included, which often is a key step in the dissemination of pedagogical research and scholarship.

Physical Therapists' Perceptions of Preparedness to Engage in Culturally Competent Practice Upon Graduation: A Qualitative Research Study.

Entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) graduates are not demographically diverse compared with the population of the United States. The curriculum must provide depth, breadth, and opportunity to develop culturally competent providers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine perceptions of novice/advanced beginner and experienced physical therapists (PTs) as to how well prepared they felt by their PT education to act as culturally competent providers and compare methods of cultural competence education received. Findings can inform whether cultural competence curriculum standards in PT education are viewed as effective or if changes to curriculum may be needed. Research has highlighted measured or perceived changes in perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors of cultural competence with clinical exposure and experience for PT students. Studies that examine or compare practicing PT perceptions of the effectiveness of entry-level cultural competence education are limited, as is evidence supporting specific cultural competence curriculum methodology. Thirteen licensed PTs participated in the study. In this phenomenological qualitative study, subjects participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were coded and analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Three themes emerged: 1) clinical practice and life experiences had greater influence on perceptions of preparedness, 2) suggestions to improve cultural competence curriculum, and 3) experiential learning was valued and contributed to culturally competent practice. Entry-level DPT programs may consider exposing students to diverse patient populations through diverse clinical rotation opportunities, community outreach, and interactive learning early in the curriculum. Incorporating student experiences with different social, cultural, or ethnic groups may promote a greater perceived value of cultural competence curriculum and improve PTs' perceptions of preparedness to practice culturally competent care. Programs may also examine the direct and indirect influence clinical instructors have on developing DPT students' cultural competence during clinical rotations.

Developing and evaluating cultural competence education: an educational group study with social work students

ABSTRACT Today, social workers serve a growing number of clients who are culturally and linguistically diverse. The importance of cultural competence in the quality of social work is evident. There is a greater need for different educational models and approaches to enhance the teaching of cultural competence in social work students. The present research study was carried out as an intervention study with a pretest and posttest design, with both experimental(n = 29) and control(n = 29) groups. For this study, we developed the Cultural Competence Education Model (CCEM) in the context of Turkey by examining various preexisting social work education models. We used CCEM in the intervention phase of the study. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of the CCEM. In particular, the data obtained from the pretest and posttest measurements show that the content of the training contributes to the cultural knowledge, self-awareness, awareness and cultural sensitivity of the participants on pressure and diversity. To conclude, the study provides offers recommendations for the development of basic knowledge for cultural competence skills and culturally effective practices in the future, and concludes with a call that additionally calls for the integration of integrating cultural competence education into the general social work education curriculum.

Teaching cultural competence to undergraduate pharmacy students using vignettes (case scenarios) as an innovative teaching intervention.

Cultural competence is instrumental in reducing health equities. Addressing cultural competence at higher education level in healthcare students lays a solid cultural competence foundation for professional practice. The use of vignettes as a teaching intervention was effective because it allowed the use of role-modelling in real-life situations.The study aimed to enhance cultural competence in undergraduate pharmacy students using a self-directed online interactive cultural competence module embedded with three vignettes (case scenarios). This study was an exploratory longitudinal mixed method (survey and written feedback) study and used a convenience sample of 90 pharmacy students at an Australian University. Students' self-perceived transcultural self-efficacy was evaluated pre- and post-intervention using Jeffreys' Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) which is a validated outcome measure. Vignettes were effective in teaching cultural competence as shown by significant (P < 0.0005) changes pre- to post-intervention in cognitive, practical and affective domains scores using TSET. The affective domain had the least positive mean score change. There was no significant association between any of the demographic factors such as age, gender or birthplace/parents' birthplace and changes in any of the three domains. Cronbach's alpha of >0.90 in all domains confirmed the test's internal consistency and reliability. The findings were indicative of the students' positive receptivity to learning cultural competence and that they had a well-developed understanding of cultural competence. Further research is needed to determine why most cultural competence teaching methods produce little or no meaningful change in enhancing the affective domain.

Cultural Competency Education for Health Care Providers: A Literature Review to Guide Canadian Pharmacy Residency Programs.

The need for cultural competency education has been emphasized for health care professionals in Canada. According to the Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board accreditation standards, pharmacy residents must be able to provide culturally competent care for their patients, further building upon the education received during their undergraduate pharmacy programs. Although these standards exist, guidance for their implementation in pharmacy residency programs is lacking. To review the available literature and develop recommendations for pharmacy residency coordinators and directors on cultural competency training for pharmacy residents. A literature search was conducted to explore the literature concerning cultural competency education for pharmacy residents. The search was expanded to encompass literature involving pharmacy students and medical residents for information that could be applied to pharmacy residents. The initial literature search did not yield any results for cultural competency education provided to pharmacy residents. The expanded search yielded information about methods used to educate pharmacy students and medical residents, including didactic lectures, online modules, experiential learning rotations, seminars, workshops, patient simulations and case discussions, and guest lectures by experts in the field or by patients. It is recommended that interactive education methods be used to train pharmacy residents in cultural competency, to match the experiential learning structure of residency training programs. Methods that could be implemented include offering online modules or readings, arranging for guest speakers, contacting local experts and community members for guidance on creation of a suitable curriculum, and providing immersive rotations focused on diverse populations.

Empowerment of Foreign Nurses to Develop Self-efficacy in Culturally Competent Care Delivery

Background: Utilizing an exploratory, sequential, mixed-method approach, data was collected for an evidence-based educational approach to empower nursing staff from diverse cultural backgrounds to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the successful provision of culturally competent care. Methods: The Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool (TSET) and the competence and confidence model were used to measure the influence of cultural competence education on transcultural self-efficacy (TSE) perceptions (n = 92). This mixed-methods inquiry utilized focus group inquiry prior to and after utilizing the TSET for the development of education and training. Results: Qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated with the themes and care statements from the qualitative focus group data, which explored relationships between the quantitative data of the TSET domains. Empowerment is demonstrated by the ability to deliver culturally competent care and achieve positive outcomes in clinical practice effectively and confidently. Conclusion: Empowering TSE may be influenced by the planned education and training of professional nurses. Educational outcome research can demonstrate the impact of cultural education and training programs on empowerment and meeting patient needs with culturally competent nursing skills.

Tashra's elemental kink readiness to advanced kink proficiencies for medical and mental health providers

Be familiar with the clinical need for cultural competency standards Understand the research base for TASHRA's recently developed kink core cultural competencies Be familiar with the TASHRA core cultural competencies for working with kink populations Because cultural competence guidelines help clinicians prevent this discrimination, The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance created cultural competence guidelines for clinicians serving kink populations. This presentation will briefly present these guidelines and their foundations, including preliminary findings from the ongoing 2021 International Kink Health Study. To our knowledge, these are the first cultural competence guidelines developed specifically for working with kink populations that are grounded in both extensive clinical experience and research. Cultural competence guidelines help physical and mental health clinicians in preventing this stigma and discrimination. In 2021, The Alternative Sexualities Health Research Alliance created cultural competence guidelines for clinicians serving kink populations. This presentation will briefly present these guidelines and the research and clinical foundations that they are built upon, including preliminary findings from the ongoing 2021 International Kink Health Study. To our knowledge, these are the first cultural competence guidelines developed specifically for working with kink populations and grounded in both extensive clinical experience and research. We released these guidelines for free on our website on September 15, 2021 in order that they may guide the cultural competence education of healthcare providers by a large array of sexuality educators. These guidelines are built from five primary data sets. First, the 2015 Kink Health Project. Second, the 2016 Kink Health Survey. Third, the 2019 Clinical Practice Guidelines. Fourth, the preliminary results from the ongoing 2021 International Kink Health Study continue to be utilized in refining these cultural competency standards. This mixed methods survey studies an international kink sample on a wide array of topics in healthcare. None

Cultural competence education for undergraduate medical students: An ethnographic study

The COVID-19 pandemic and the escalation of the Black Lives Matter Movement worldwide have foregrounded the long-standing inequality in society and healthcare. The provision of culturally competent care has become more necessary than at any other time. However, cultural competence (CC) education remains inconsistent across medical schools, and little is known about how students develop their CC through campus-based classroom teaching. We took an ethnographic approach to study students’ development of CC in campus-based formal classroom teaching. This study was conducted in a large London medical school in England. We triangulated data collected from 6-month participant observation, 25 individual interviews, and three focus groups to generate reliable accounts of students’ CC developmental experience. Thick descriptions were developed through iterative, inductive, interactive, and reflexive review and interpretation of data using NVivo 11. The results show that students undergo staged cultural learning throughout their undergraduate medical curriculum through bespoke CC lectures, workshops, clinical/research projects, and integrated clinical simulations that incorporate CC and other clinical subjects. The early learning mainly takes place in the pre-clinical year of the curriculum, among which a range of valued-based sessions is observed as conducive to students’ development of CC. As they progress, students develop their CC by attending clinical sessions with embedded cultural content. The curriculum in senior years presents reduced mandatory teaching, but more clinical exposure and opportunities to reach out to other subjects and disciplines. It means students start to have more diverse and dispersed learning experiences based on their individual choices, some of which may contribute to their development of CC. This study provides a rare insight into medical students’ CC development through participation in campus-based classroom teaching. Various learning opportunities contribute to different aspects of CC development and cater to different learning preferences of the diverse student population. To support students’ comprehensive development of CC, educators need to work collaboratively and use overt signposting to related disciplines and subjects. There needs to be recognition of students’ learning not only in the formal curriculum but also in the informal and hidden curricula.

Athletic Training Preceptors' Levels of Cultural Competence: A Cross-Sectional Study

Context The field of athletic training promotes cultural competence education to prevent negative consequences in health care that can result from a lack of cultural awareness. While prior studies have assessed cultural competence among faculty, students, and athletic trainers, no study has specifically focused on preceptors. Objective The objective of this study was to assess cultural competence among a subsection of athletic training preceptors. Design and Setting Cross-sectional online survey. Patients or Other Participants Active preceptors from Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) accredited programs in good standing from two districts of the National Athletic Trainer's Association. Measurements The Cultural Competency Assessment (CCA) consists of 27 Likert-type response items split into the Culture Awareness and Sensitivity (CAS) subscale and the Cultural Competence Behaviors (CCB) subscale. Higher scores indicate higher cultural competence. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results Sixty-five preceptors of the estimated 260 were included in the analysis. The combined average score on the CCA was 89.72 ± 11.46 out of 135 (67.9%). A paired-samples t- test revealed that preceptors scored significantly better in the CAS compared to the CCB [t(64) = 12.47, P &amp;lt; .001], with averages of 37.27 ± 3.47 out of 55 (67.77%) and 52.44 ± 10.08 out of 80 (65.5%), respectively. Conclusions This study provides data on athletic training preceptor's awareness and behaviors relative to cultural competence. Results demonstrate a need to further develop cultural competence among preceptors. The role of a preceptor has been shown to have a great influence on student development and retention in the profession. Preceptors should be considered as another source of knowledge of cultural competence.

An Approach to Cultural Competence Education into the Pharmacy Curriculum: Glances from the Cuban Framework

Cultural competence is crucial for improved health outcomes in populations. In addition to knowledge and skills, cultural competence involves a confident attitude that underlines regard across all cultures. The importance of cultural competence training has been considered in several pharmacy education statements as part of the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. Nevertheless, there is a significant discrepancy in the implementation of cultural competence in a curriculum. There is no consensus on how this could be implemented from a view of logical and pedagogical coherence. Consequently, a cultural and interdisciplinary approach should be considered in the curriculum design process respecting the laws and pedagogical principles that guide the process of training professionals at the universities and pharmacy schools. The main purpose of the study is to describe a cultural background to implement cultural competence education in the Cuban pharmacy curriculum. The data for this study was collected through an overall literature review. Using terms specific to Cuban health care, culture, and education, combined with terms linked to cultural competence, global health, and pharmacy education. Relevant statements by the Pan American Health (PAHO) and World Health Organizations (WHO) were extracted. Electronic sites for the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, and Pharmacy Education were reviewed. Scopus, Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and Web of Knowledge databases were examined. The outcomes of this study reveal that Cuba is a culturally rich country with complex and diverse perspectives on health. Cuban culture is the result of extremely broad and tedious transculturation processes; therefore, it is not possible to exhaust the subject in a single inquiry. Health and education in Cuba are politically entwined; statistical data, arguments, and related information are not always available to be studied or compared. This study identifies the need for a sincere effort toward global pharmacy education’s purpose; respect for religious values, traditional beliefs, historic and political factors were also taken into consideration to design a framework for cultural competence with Cuban pharmacy curricula. The repercussions of the current study will be valuable to developing curricular improvement processes aimed at implementing cultural competency in pharmacy education taking into consideration an essentially cultural perspective. Furthermore, this study offers a background to simplify culturally sensitive exchanges among practitioners, undergraduates, stakeholders, and other faculties of pharmacy members from Cuba and other nations when they involve health care and pharmacy practice or education.