Premium Essay

Cultural Competency In Health Care

Submitted By
Words 345
Pages 2
Cultural Competency is important when working with diverse populations in healthcare, because it enables the healthcare providers and the patients to better understand each other. When patients feel they are understood that gives them greater confidence in the care advice that they receive. Additionally, if patients are able to people communicate and understand the care provider they are more likely to be successful in following a recommended treatment plan by a healthcare professional. Additionally, it is important that a healthcare provider understand the cultural norms and traditions of the population they are working with. Having an understanding of different cultures will assist professionals in communicating with patients as a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Culteral Competency

...CULTURAL COMPETENCY Policy: SCOPE: This policy impacts all staff and departments in National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services PURPOSE: This policy demonstrates a commitment to a comprehensive linguistic and cultural competency plan and describes how it will meet the linguistic and cultural needs of the residents it serves. The objectives of this policy include the following: 1. To ensure that National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services is aware of and identifies enrollees who may need additional resources to meet their cultural and linguistic preferences. 2. To ensure that National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services meets the language requirements of its client health plans and their State mandated requirements to provide enrollee materials in easily understandable formats, including special attention to the reading level requirements set forth. 3. To ensure that National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services meets the needs of enrollees who may require materials in additional formats such as large font, braille, audio recordings, etc. 4. To ensure that National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services meets the needs of enrollees in providing access to interpreters, onsite and offsite when speaking with National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services staff. POLICY: National Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Services has developed a Cultural Competency Plan and training program to create an awareness of and sensitivity...

Words: 1800 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Cultural Competency

...Cultural Competency Cultural Competency is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations (HHS, 2013). With the increasing population growth dealing with ethnic and racial communities, everybody have their own cultural traits and health profiles, this creates a challenge in the health care industry in the U.S. Cultural Competency is important to the health care industry because it’s the way patients and doctors talk about health concerns without cultural differences affecting the conversation but at the same time enhancing it. To sum it up, health care services that respect a patient’s health beliefs can bring positive health outcomes. In the health care industry knowing how to serve diverse people about health and wellness is both an ethical and business imperative. Cultural Competency has become more of a matter of national concern, so it’s important that physicians should be trained on how to care for diverse populations. Building cultural competency has several benefits for health care organizations. For instance it increases respect, increases creativity, increase participation from other cultural groups, increases trust, helps the overcome fear of mistakes, decrease unwanted surprises, and promotes equality and inclusion. Health care companies can demonstrate cultural competency by writing a mission statement that commits to cultural competence...

Words: 396 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Diversity Conflicts in the Nicu

...provide effective and efficient health services; health care organizations need to develop cultural and linguistic competence (Gordon, 2013). The aim for health care organizations is to achieve cultural competence as evidenced by every patient regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or language receiving the highest-quality care (Betancourt, Green, Carrillo, & Park, 2005). Betancourt, Green, Carillo, and Ananeh-Firempong II (2003) defined a cultural competent health care organization as one that recognizes and integrates the importance of culture, cultural differences, cultural knowledge and services to meet the distinctive needs of the culture. This cultural competence encompasses integration and interaction of beliefs, behaviors, disease prevalence and incidence and treatment outcomes for diverse patient populations (Betancourt et al., 2003). In the case study: Diversity Conflicts in the NICU the manager has identified practices in the NICU that are not representative of a culturally competent organization. While reflecting on the diverse population that her staff comprises of the manager debates changing her hiring practices to avoid the amount of growing conflicts. Gordon (2013) discusses how health care organizations have an obligation to develop policies and practices that will assist in recruiting, retaining, and managing the various cultures represented in the workforce to offer both culturally appropriate care and improved access to care. The Commonwealth Fund indicates...

Words: 1900 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Emerging Standards of Care

...Standards of Care NUR 531 Emerging Standards of Care The impact of the varying demographics and the emergent multicultural humanity emphasizes the significance of cultural competence for the provision of quality care in this diverse society. Identifying and comprehending the beliefs, customs, practices, and values of a culture is essential for nurses and health care providers. Beyond the racial and ethnic group, classification that usually comes to mind with discussion of cultural diversity, other types of cultural diversity such as gender and organization affiliation warrants attention. This paper will discuss cultural competence in home health care/hospice, the people that receive service and issues of community vulnerability. Exploration of standards of cultural competence, potential impacts of delivery of care, and possible solutions to implement where standards are not being met will emerge. Cultural Competence According to Freidman, Bowden, and Jones (2003), people view culture as a model for our way of living, behaving, living, and feeling. An association between culture and heath practices is existent. In fact, culture is the most influential factor in determining health behaviors and beliefs (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). Cultural competence involves being aware of, and conversant on, and sensitive to the diverse cultures that exist in the population. Health care providers should not only embrace cultural diversity but must also strive for cultural competence...

Words: 3345 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Kaiser Permanente Cultural Competency

...Kaiser Permanente Cultural Competency The aim of this case study is to show how beneficial the bill AB 1195 was on Kaiser Permanente. Before the bill, healthcare companies faced difficulties with communications with patients since they lacked cultural awareness and proper training, after its passing, healthcare companies required providers to undergo training in the field of cultural awareness to overcome those barriers. The Overview of Cultural Competency in Healthcare Cultural Competency in the career of healthcare has the approach of delivering high quality care to patients who have diverse backgrounds, different ethical values, and beliefs. This practice requires training that can be used to personalize health care based on cultural and...

Words: 826 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Cultural Competency in Nursing Care

...Cultural Competency in Nursing Care Dorcas Jacobs Grand Canyon University: NRS 429V Family Centered Health Promotion September 29, 2013 Cultural Competency in Nursing Care As the United States becomes more and more culturally diverse one cannot help but be exposed to various cultures and worldviews. America has long been called the melting pot, and that term has never been truer than it is today. According to Green and Reinckens (2013) the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by the year 2041 the U.S. population will be a majority minority. In other words, less than half of the population will be non-Hispanic, single race Caucasian. This growing diversity makes cultural competence in healthcare a necessary requirement for effective communication and delivery of patient centered care. In fact, cultural competency is so necessary that The Joint Commission has produced a number of items addressing this issue, and states that organizations and their personnel must do the following in order to provide culturally competent care: (1) value diversity; (2) assess themselves; (3) manage the dynamics of difference; (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge; and (5) adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of individuals and communities served. (The Joint Commission, 2010) This paper will explore the value of understanding one’s own heritage when evaluating the needs of others. Comparison will also be made between health traditions of three families of differing cultural...

Words: 1703 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Ethnicity Matters

...Alvernia University Ethnicity Matters: The Experiences of Minority Groups in Public Health Programs Abstract This article reviews the views and opinions of African Americans, Caucasians, and Latinos who are low-income as it relates to their opinions and experiences in health care. Emphasis is placed on cultural competency and how satisfied each ethnicity rated their health care experience. Ethnicity Matters: The Experiences of Minority Groups in Public Health Programs This article was chosen for many reasons. It holds an important position in regards to continuity of care and satisfaction of resources from three different racial groups. It is an ongoing debate of how each racial...

Words: 1295 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Emerging Standards of Care

...of Care Paper December 15, 2014 Donna Rose Nur/531 Emerging Standards of Care Paper A growing problem in the United States is the increase in health disparities amongst minorities regardless that the United States is a multicultural country. This problem is due to the poor quality and accessibility of health care services. As the population of diversity continues to grow rapidly so does the importance of cultural competence in healthcare. Cultural competence is a set of behaviors, attitudes, and skills that enables nurses to work effectively in cross-cultural situations ("Cultural Competence", 2014). Organizations must have the capacity to value diversity, conduct self-assessment, manage the dynamics of difference, institutionalize cultural knowledge and adapt to the diversity and the cultural context of the communities they serve. The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) stated that inequities in service delivery and care in the health care system are associated with discrimination, and a lack of culturally competent practices, including a lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity by health care providers (Upsher, n.d). Substance abuse is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences ("The Science Of Drug Abuse And Addiction: The Basics", 2014). This paper will discuss and define the appropriateness of competent care in Substance abuse care and...

Words: 2376 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Nur 531

...Standards of Care The Office of Minority Health defines the term “cultural competency” as “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations” (“What is Cultural Competency, n.d.). Health care providers have begun focusing on ways to create culturally appropriate and effective health care policies. These policies will lead to culturally sensitive care provided to patients. The diversity within the world’s population is changing hastily and impacting health care globally. Although, many organizations have provided their definitions of cultural competence regarding health care, all organizations, health care providers, and patients have their own vision of what cultural competency entails. It is important that all providers use their individual understanding of the term to analyze ways to meet the standards of nursing care. With standards in place, organizations can develop tools which measure individual patient needs as well as measuring the effectiveness of the organization’s culturally diverse practices. As populations become more diverse, it is imperative that the gap in disparities of health care be closed. To ensure these differences are addressed, health care providers and patients must discuss the concerns without cultural differences hindering the discussion (What is Cultural Competency, n.d.). All categories and specialties within the health care...

Words: 1047 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Faidman

...journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy during infancy. Her family’s opinion was that the condition was a spiritual gift. Lia’s parents, Nao Kao and Foua, were wary of the American medical system, preferring to care for Lia in the Hmong way. Throughout the considerable conflict surrounding her care, Lia continued to have seizures; at the age of 4 ½, after a particularly devastating episode of status epilepticus, she slipped into a persistent vegetative state that would last...

Words: 1289 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Culture Competency

...Emerging Standards of Care Paper Ron Perkins NUR/531 December 23, 2013 Jane Jacks Emerging Standards of Care Paper In nursing, we care for patients from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. This diversity is dependent on location, population, and nursing specialty and may change at any point. In order to properly provide culturally competent care, we must be educated about the individual culture needs and limitations. It's also important to be mentally open to looking beyond our personal norms to care for patients with unique cultural backgrounds and beliefs. As a dialysis nurse, we are seeing the effects of chronic kidney disease affecting a larger, more diverse population of patients. Patients are going into renal failure earlier, family dynamics are uniquely affected, and patients from all walks of life are affected. The paper will look at dialysis at Fresenius Medical Care in St Louis Missouri located in The Hill neighborhood. It will define cultural competency, identify the different cultures served, discuss how the standards of culture competency are being met and what areas are not, and discuss nursing care delivery and possible solutions for areas lacking in cultural competency. Culturally Competent Care at Fresenius Dialysis Centers It is imperative as health care providers that we not only care for a verity of people with different health conditions, but also from different backgrounds. We are given the task of caring for the physical and mental...

Words: 2307 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Emerging Standards of Care

...Standards of Culturally Competent Care NUR/531 University of Phoenix Emerging Standards of Care: Cultural Competence The current U.S. population exhibits unparalleled sociocultural and ethnic diversity, yet the nursing workforce fails to reflect the current state of the nation’s diversity. According to Clark, Calvillo, Fongwa, Kools, Dela Cruz, Lowe, and Mastel-Smith (2011) non-Hispanic Whites constitute 83.2% of the nursing workforce, although Hispanics, African Americans, American Indians, Asians, and other ethnic groups remain underrepresented. Nursing faces the challenge to meet the health care needs of such a culturally diverse population while promoting diversity in the workforce through educating nurses on cultural sensitivity and competence. Cultural competence in nursing is evolving as the standard of care. Nursing and other health care providers must employ knowledge of various social and cultural influences in the care setting to promote patient-centered care (Mitchell, Fioravanti, Founds, Hoffmann, & Libman, 2010). It is crucial to recognize and appreciate the relevance of diversity in the acute care setting to set standards of culturally competent nursing care, and improve care delivery through meeting and improving these standards. Cultural Competence When examining...

Words: 3099 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Aboriginal Nursing in Australia

...According to Queensland Health (2012) health services that are initiated, controlled and operated by the indigenous community have the potential to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing the appropriate available services. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) such as Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders Community Health Services Mackay (ATSICHS) provides holistic and culturally appropriate care. This highlights that access to health services, may be affected by a variety of socioeconomic factors, such as low income, unemployment, second-rate housing and also socio-political factors like forced removal from land and/or family. These factors need be addressed to achieve continuous improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders health status. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services offer clinical care, screening programs, a wide range of preventative health care activities, health-related and/or community supported activities. Queensland Health (2010) focuses on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which acknowledges the significant gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders (approximately 10.4 years for males and 8.9 years for females). Community involvement is a founding principle of the World Health Organisation (WHO) 1978 Alma-Ata primary health care declaration (WHO, 2013). A significant reason for community...

Words: 1947 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Texas Bon Theory

...nursing care to patients and their families with complex healthcare needs” (Practice- Registered Nurse n.d.). One of the standards set forth by TX BON is “the maintenance of health, or prevention of illness”. Leininger’s theory says when an individual’s cultural expectations are not met or overlooked can delay progress or lead to worsening health. A nurse is not able to maintain health or prevent illness if he/she is faced with the obstacle lacking cultural knowledge and awareness. Therefore, nurses must approach each patient encounter uniquely with what is learned through literature and from clinical experiences in developing a nursing care plan. Another scope of practice defined by TX BON is the supervision and...

Words: 1048 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Aboriginal Culture Essay

...differ from non-aboriginals in access to health care and overall health outcomes. Although the overall health of Aboriginals has been improving over the past 20 years (Health Canada, 2013), as a group, Aboriginal people still have the shortest life expectancies and poorest health (HCC, 2012). Literature and antidotal research as cited several factors they negatively affect health outcomes. An important barrier that this paper will discuss the concept of cultural safety as a barrier to access health care by Canadian Aboriginals. It will then define cultural safety and discuss the evolution of...

Words: 837 - Pages: 4