Improving Cultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations

Improving Cultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations

Discrimination in the healthcare sector has been the leading cause of service delivery inequality. Healthcare organization faces several challenges in providing culturally competent care. The growing diversity of nations has posed challenges for healthcare providers and policymakers. Cultural competence refers to healthcare providers’ and health organizations’ ability to consider patients’ social and cultural needs. Racially or ethnically motivated disparities in the healthcare system can be eliminated by promoting cultural competence (Ihara, 2004). The government must develop policies to remove administrative barriers to quality healthcare. One of the strategies employed is for healthcare providers to recognize the cultural diversity inherent in their work. Health care or healthcare is “the management and prevention of illness, infection, injury, or any other mental or physical infirmity to improve a patient’s overall health.” Different cultures’ ethnic, racial, and religious boundaries highlight differences in beliefs and healthcare values. Healthcare providers must ensure that their goals are geared toward meeting the individual needs of their patients.

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Healthcare Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is essential in healthcare because it eliminates disparities in providing quality and access to health services. Healthcare professionals and organizations must understand how different cultures influence people’s perceptions of life and death. The knowledge also enables them to comprehend how people interact and share healthcare advice. People’s perceptions of medicine and scientific research in treatment may be influenced by their cultural beliefs. Understanding cultural diversity allows health providers to interact with patients more effectively and prevent health complications. Their connections allow for information sharing, essential during treatment to determine which approaches benefit the patients (Betancourt et al., 2002). Recognizing cultural diversity among patients improves healthcare outcomes because patients’ needs are met. Healthcare providers develop a care plan to address each patient’s specific needs. The main issue with applying a single care plan to all patients is patient dissatisfaction due to cultural differences. As a result of the situation, the patient’s relationship with the healthcare provider suffers.

Chronic diseases cause a high morbidity and mortality rate among racial and ethnic minorities. Their financial capability and the higher activity limitation in society both contribute to their condition. A higher proportion of African Americans and Latinos likely have at least one family member suffering from one of the seven chronic diseases. Asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer are common illnesses (Kinne et al., 2004). The conditions are expensive, and the minorities’ financial constraints prevent them from funding the operations. The family members are then abandoned, with only cultural and religious beliefs as a source of hope. Minorities cannot work or dress due to chronic conditions, which worsens their health conditions.

The Roots of Health Disparities

When compared to whites, racial and ethnic minorities lack a doctor, making it difficult for them to obtain preventive services. Their situation is exacerbated by financial constraints and a lack of healthcare insurance coverage to meet their medical needs. The poor living conditions in such communities contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases.

Language and communication barriers also contribute to the deterioration of health. Non-English-speaking patients in the United States do not seek health care because of language barriers. Their medical providers are baffled by their condition. The lack of interpreters in health facilities to explain to health providers the nature of service required by individuals has contributed to this. Language barriers impede communication and make it difficult for minorities, such as Spanish people with mental illnesses, to seek medical help. Patient dissatisfaction, poor comprehension, and poor-quality health care are all exacerbated by language and communication barriers (Goode, 2001). Minorities, such as Spanish-speaking patients, are more likely than English-speaking patients to report problems with the healthcare system. Patients who use professional interpreters are more likely to be satisfied than those who rely on family and friends for interpretation.

The literacy levels of the people are another source of inequality in healthcare access. The elderly comprise a larger proportion of the US population and have lower literacy rates than the young. The condition presents a challenge because most older patients have chronic diseases. They are expected to make important decisions about their healthcare providers, but their literacy levels limit their ability to explain. Because of disparities in educational opportunities, racial and ethnic minorities have a high illiteracy rate, exacerbated by communication and linguistic barriers (Butler et al., 2016). Low literacy levels impact patients’ ability to read and comprehend medical prescriptions. Because of the language used in the health insurance form, their low literacy levels impact their health awareness and subscription to health insurance. The literate in society understand health care campaigns and the significance of using health insurance in their medical processes.

Cultural Awareness

According to the American Academy of Family Practices, cultural competence is “knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs that assist health care providers and professionals in working well with patients who are culturally different.” Discrimination and bias by healthcare providers can be eliminated through cultural competence. Minority stereotypes and discrimination are to blame for the limitations in providing quality healthcare to patients. Awareness campaigns and training are required to educate healthcare professionals about the cultural knowledge and skills of target communities. Cultural awareness will help providers eliminate misconceptions and prejudices about other cultures. The training provides adequate cultural knowledge to enlighten professionals on various beliefs. Developing cultural skills allows healthcare providers to provide personalized care by utilizing available cultural data (Betancourt et al., 2002). People with chronic illnesses should interact with the healthcare system more frequently. Failure of health providers, organizations, and systems to collaborate to ensure culturally competent services are provided contributes to poor health outcomes. Individuals from minority groups are dissatisfied with healthcare services due to negative healthcare outcomes. Less collaboration with healthcare providers and less participation in medical decision-making also contribute to dissatisfaction. Latinos and Asian Americans have low patient-physician interaction, contributing to their dissatisfaction.

Most African Americans believe that if they were white, they would have received better health care. They believe the physicians used their skin colour to undermine their pursuit of quality healthcare. Asian Americans believe healthcare providers do not understand their cultural beliefs (Asian Counseling & Referral Service, 2003). They believe the doctors undermine their health needs due to a lack of background, cultural knowledge, and values.

Cultural Competence Checklist

Leaders of healthcare organizations must ensure that they understand the local community and the organization’s role in it. Having such background knowledge will be beneficial in ensuring the organization’s cultural competence. To improve the local community’s service, the healthcare organization should analyze data and conduct micro-targeting surveys. The next step is communicating the survey results to establish priorities. The third step in the process is to educate healthcare providers and align organizational resources to meet the community’s needs (Health Research & Educational Trust, 2013). The healthcare organization uses demographic data to determine the composition of the population and the nature of patients served by the facility in the first step of the community survey. The analysis provides the necessary information to the healthcare organization to meet specific individuals’ needs. The healthcare organization then communicates the survey results to community members. Members identify their top priorities for the organization to address. The information provided by community members aids in the staff training. The healthcare organization uses feedback from the community to educate health providers on the importance of cultural competence and the specific needs of the patients with whom the staff interacts daily.

Enhancing Cultural Competence

The healthcare system in the United States is interested in reducing health disparities and improving access to health services. The healthcare system will provide culturally sensitive and unbiased healthcare services through cultural competence. Cultural competence ensures that the patients’ language, communication style, behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are considered. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has established standards to ensure that healthcare services are culturally and linguistically appropriate (Betancourt et al., 2002). Governance, leadership, and organizational engagement issues are addressed through the standards. Cultural competence in healthcare addresses not only ethnic and racial minorities but also the marginalization of individuals at risk of stigma and differences in healthcare needs between individuals.

Cultural competency training is one method that can be used to eliminate health disparities in society. Educational interventions should be implemented to aid in improving healthcare service delivery. Education programs can be designed to improve group-specific knowledge or to apply universal models. A group-specific approach entails teaching providers about a specific cultural group’s values, attitudes, and beliefs (Betancourt & Green, 2010). However, this strategy has been linked to stereotyping and oversimplifying a specific group’s diversity. In contrast, a universal approach emphasizes reflective awareness, active listening, empathy, and cognitive strategies to eliminate bias in healthcare services. In training, the universal model approach is considered more representative than the group-specific approach.

People’s first care interventions are another intervention that can be used to improve cultural competence. The strategy encourages healthcare providers to view people based on their characteristics rather than their membership in a group. The strategy will help to close the gap between racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities (Bonder et al., 2001). The intervention can be used at the healthcare system level to promote universal access to needed care. Chronic disease management programs could be among the measures.

Accreditation standards are important tools for educating medical students about the importance of cultural competence. Medical schools teach students skills that enable them to recognize the various beliefs and cultures that exist in society. Targeting healthcare providers such as nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals can also help to improve cultural competence (Betancourt and Green, 2010). The targeted interventions aim to improve providers’ ability to provide healthcare services to people from different cultural backgrounds than their own. When providers can provide such services, the entire healthcare system can be designed to promote and sustain cultural competence. It is critical to change the clinical environment to provide quality healthcare. The healthcare organization should focus on the physical structures affecting healthcare services access. The healthcare system should address transportation and resource accessibility in the examination room. The strategy will ensure that people with disabilities are transported to the facility and treated as needed.

Cultural competence can also be improved by implementing interventions that educate healthcare providers on common secondary conditions affecting a specific population (Kinne et al., 2004). Such approaches will ensure that diseases like asthma, ulcers, and hypertension, common in people with disabilities, are addressed.

Linguistic and cultural barriers can also be removed by ensuring that the medical staff comprises members of minority groups or the target population. The individual may not have the necessary medical skills, but they can play an important role as interpreters. Their role will aid in the effective communication between health providers and patients (Goode, 2001). When minorities have the necessary skills, it is critical to hire minorities who share the same culture as the target population. The presence of representatives and interpreters will ensure that the health system develops strategies with adequate knowledge of the community’s cultural needs.

The Advantages of Cultural Competence

Improving cultural competence in health organizations will provide numerous benefits to communities. A culturally competent healthcare organization provides social benefits such as increased patient-organization respect. Patients will trust culturally competent healthcare organizations because they will do whatever it takes to improve their well-being. Cultural competence also improves community participation and involvement in health issues. The approach also has health benefits, such as improving patient preventive care (Butler et al., 2016). Cultural competence entails organizations communicating effectively with patients, which results in cost savings due to eliminating medical errors caused by misunderstanding. The vulnerable groups will also receive the necessary medical visits to improve their overall health. The satisfaction of legal and regulatory guidelines is one of the business benefits associated with cultural competence. Culturally competent healthcare organizations will have a larger market share because of the diversity of the patients under their care.

Conclusion

To effectively eliminate health disparities, addressing cultural competence as an integrated aspect is critical. The cultural competence of the healthcare system determines the success of healthcare delivery. The government and healthcare stakeholders should develop national standards and guidelines to improve cultural competence. Efforts to improve cultural competence among healthcare professionals will significantly improve the quality of care for all patients.

Similar Post: CLAS Standards

References

American Academy of Family Practices. (2014). Cultural Proficiency.

Asian Counseling and Referral Service. (2003). ACRS participates in national efforts to train mental health interpreters. Seattle, WA: Author.

Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., & Carrillo, J. E. (2002). Cultural competence in health care: Emerging frameworks and practical approaches (Vol. 576). New York, NY: Commonwealth Fund, Quality of Care for Underserved Populations.

Betancourt, J. R., & Green, A. R. (2010). Commentary: linking cultural competence training to improved health outcomes: perspectives from the field. Academic Medicine, 85(4), 583–585.

Bonder, B., Martin, L., & Miracle, A. (2001). Achieving cultural competence: The challenge for clients and healthcare workers in a multicultural society. Generations, 25(1), 35–42.

Butler, M., McCreedy, E., Schwer, N., Burgess, D., Call, K., Przedworski, J., … & Kane, R. (2016). Improving cultural competence to reduce health disparities.

Goode, T. D. (2001). Linguistic competence in primary health care delivery systems: Implications for policymakers. National Center for Cultural Competence.

Health Research & Educational Trust. (2013). Becoming a culturally competent healthcare organization.

Ihara, E. (2004). Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is It Important for People with Chronic Conditions? Centre on an Aging Society.

Kinne, S., Patrick, D. L., & Doyle, D. L. (2004). Prevalence of secondary conditions among people with disabilities. American Journal of Public Health, 94(3), 443–445.

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