Cultural Competence in Healthcare: Why it Matters to Reduce Health Disparities
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Abstract
The United States of America has been a kaleidoscope of cultures for hundreds of years. In urban areas it is not unusual for a doctor to have a diverse patient lineup–seeing a patient in the morning who recently emigrated from the Philippines, a multi-generational family of Indian descent later in the afternoon and a tourist from China in the evening might be a typical day for some in the healthcare profession. Even doctors and nurses who work in rural areas will inevitably encounter people of various ethnicities and cultural backgrounds in their careers, especially as the U.S. countryside continues to become more ethnically and racially diverse. Sensitivity, compassion, understanding and acceptance of patients and colleagues with different values, beliefs and behaviors are essential qualities for those who work in the medical arena. Cultural competence is the ability of healthcare providers and organizations to meet the cultural, social and linguistic needs of their patients. Below, you will find why cultural competence is so important for the effective delivery of quality healthcare, and we’ll look at how a lack of cultural competence can lead to poor patient satisfaction and outcomes and frustration for both patients and healthcare workers. It is also important for healthcare facilities to attain cultural competence through in-house training and education for nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers.