Cultural Competence and Cultural Sensitivity

Healthcare cultural competence occurs when healthcare providers and the institution deliver services that fulfill patients’ cultural and social needs. Cultural competence eliminates healthcare disparities based on race and ethnicity. This leads to the well-being of the entire society. Culturally sensitive health care occurs when providers and the institution provide services and policies that are considered to respect the culture of all patients. It makes the patients feel that they are respected by the institution and health care providers.

Cultural competence and cultural sensitivity have various similarities. Both demonstrate respect for diversity. They demonstrate an interest in diverse cultures in addition to avoiding generalizations about patients’ values and habits. To achieve both, healthcare providers should be trained in cross-cultural matters (Göl & Erkin, 2019). Furthermore, policies that eliminate administrative and language barriers to quality patient care should be established. The major difference between the two is that cultural sensitivity recognizes cultural differences and doesn’t assign values to them, whereas in cultural awareness, there is an openness to the possibility of altering cultural attitudes (Henderson et al., 2018). Institutions and healthcare providers should uphold cultural competence and sensitivity daily.

An example of cultural competence in health care is when an institution provides interpreter services to remove linguistic barriers between the nurse and patient. Interpreter services can be supplemented with printed instructions and signage in different languages targeting the diverse patient population. An example of a situation that requires cultural sensitivity is when a patient’s religious belief prohibits prescription medications and any hospital procedures that can be life-saving. Nurses and other health care providers should be ready to understand the patient’s beliefs. The nurse can then seek alternative traditional treatment for the patient. The patient will feel respected and appreciated, and their relationship with the nurse improves significantly.

Healthcare providers need to demonstrate both cultural competence and cultural sensitivity. It makes the patient feel appreciated and creates a good relationship between caregivers and patients. It also helps to remove the racial and ethnic inequalities that exist during patient care. All institutions should develop policies that promote cultural competence and sensitivity.

References

Göl, İ., & Erkin, Ö. (2019). Association between cultural intelligence and cultural sensitivity in nursing students: A cross-sectional descriptive study. Collegian, 26(4), 485–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2018.12.007

Henderson, S., Horne, M., Hills, R., & Kendall, E. (2018). Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis. Health and Social Care in the Community, 26(4), 590–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12556

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