Emerging Standards of Culturally Competent Care



Emerging Standards of Culturally Competent Care

Introduction

If health is a concern that has always accompanied the development of humanity, the concept of health has changed in terms of societies, cultures and eras, acting as a reflection of social, cultural, religious or scientific.. Less research, however, has explored how cultural differences may be expressed as health disparities, or what might mitigate the effects of cultural differences in the delivery of health care. The characteristics of health care professionals, their positions in the structure of their health care organization, and interactions within health care teams provide a window into some of the micro level processes involved in the provision of culturally competent care—an intervention presumed to improve health care experiences and outcomes for vulnerable populations. Understanding how cultural competence is structured within the understandings of health professionals in the context of the health care workplace makes an empirical contribution to research literature in the sociology of health care and to health services research (Thompson, 2006). That in turn informs health care professions, organizations, and university programs regarding the provision of culturally competent care. The term cultural competence (also known as cultural responsiveness, cultural awareness, and cultural sensitivity) refers to a person's ability to interact effectively with persons of cultures different from his or her own. With regard to health care, cultural competence is a set of behaviors and attitudes held by clinicians that allows them to communicate effectively with patients of various cultural backgrounds and to plan for and provide care that is appropriate to the culture and to the individual. Culturally competent (CC) care of Amish patients during labor and delivery is holistic and incorporates cultural beliefs, attitudes, and traditions when planning and providing care.

Cultural Competence and Health Care Provision

Health care professionals are expected to respond to both the health and the cultural needs of a growing population of minorities underserved in the U.S. health care system. Providers are expected to become more sensitive to their patients' various belief systems and to learn how to engage entire families in health care decision-making. Health care professionals are also expected understand and to help make inroads into removing some of the structural barriers that impede delivery of high quality health care. Lack of transportation, language barriers, and no health insurance are obstacles that prevent individuals from accessing quality health care. Efforts to overcome such common structural barriers by health care providers and the organizations and institutions that oversee health care remove one impediment to culturally competent care (Kanazawa, 2007). It cannot be guaranteed in the face of such structural barriers, resulting in poorer health care provision for those from diverse backgrounds.

Providers pursuing cultural competence incorporate contextual considerations into the health assessment process. Health care professionals attend to complicating factors ranging from the disruption of family support systems and social networks experienced in many poor neighborhoods, to post-traumatic disorders experienced by asylum seekers and refugees, and undocumented immigrants' worry about deportation. Socioeconomic conditions, neighborhood influences, and daily stressors affect ...