Cultural Competency

1. The Meaning of Cultural Competency

Cultural competency refers to the ability of individuals, organizations, and systems to understand, appreciate, and interact effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. In healthcare, cultural competency involves recognizing and addressing the unique needs of patients, staff, and visitors from different cultural, ethnic, religious, and language groups. It includes an understanding of how culture influences health beliefs, behaviors, and interactions with the healthcare system.

Cultural competency is not a fixed skill but a changing, ongoing process that requires awareness, knowledge, and mindfulness. It requires the willingness to continue to learn. Healthcare providers, including managers, must strive to continuously adapt and improve their cultural competence to provide equitable care and reduce health disparities. By understanding and respecting diverse backgrounds, healthcare providers and managers can improve communication and increase trust between themselves and patients.

2. Key Aspects of Cultural Competency for Healthcare Managers

Healthcare managers play a crucial role in ensuring that healthcare delivery is sensitive, inclusive, and equitable. Managers set the tone and create the culture of an organization, and that culture should feel safe for everyone, regardless of background. There are some key aspects of cultural competency that healthcare managers should consider in the journey of becoming culturally competent.

2a. Cultural Awareness

Cultural awareness is the act of recognizing that cultural differences exist and understanding how these differences can impact health care. Healthcare managers should create an organizational culture that values and promotes cultural awareness among staff. This involves fostering an environment where employees acknowledge their own biases and are open to learning about patients' diverse backgrounds.

key concept

Healthcare managers can promote cultural awareness by encouraging staff to participate in cultural competence training and fostering an open dialogue about the importance of cultural differences in patient care.

Training on implicit bias can also be helpful when working on cultural competency. Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our thoughts, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases influence how we perceive and interact with others even though it is unintentional and comes from deeply ingrained ideas. Our personal experiences, societal norms, cultural upbringing, and media shape our implicit biases, and they often lead to judgments and behaviors that are inconsistent with our intentions or values.

term to know

Implicit Bias

The attitudes or stereotypes that affect our thoughts, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

2b. Cultural Knowledge

Gaining knowledge about the cultural practices, values, and beliefs of various patient populations is important in becoming culturally competent. Healthcare managers should ensure that staff have access to educational resources and training programs about the cultural norms, health beliefs, and practices of the communities they serve. Providing training sessions that cover common cultural practices related to healthcare, such as dietary restrictions, communication preferences, and the roles of family members in health decision making is important in growing a culturally competent staff.

did you know

Latino, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures often place a strong emphasis on family involvement in medical decisions, and patients may defer to the opinions of older family members or authority figures, such as parents or spouses.

2c. Cultural Sensitivity

It is important to be sensitive to cultural differences and understand that certain behaviors or attitudes might not be acceptable in all cultural contexts.

Healthcare managers must ensure that staff members are sensitive to the cultural context of patient care, avoiding stereotypes and making sure that patient preferences are respected as well as ensuring that patients’ cultural values are considered when planning care (e.g., respecting patient privacy preferences, communication styles, or spirituality).

did you know

In conservative interpretations of Islamic practices, it may be considered more appropriate or respectful for a woman to be accompanied by a male relative, such as her husband, father, or brother, particularly if the healthcare provider is male. This is based on a desire to maintain modesty and to avoid situations where a woman and a man who are not closely related are alone together. In many Somali communities, especially in more traditional or rural areas, women may prefer to have a male family member accompany them to the doctor as a matter of cultural practice, even if the healthcare provider is female.

2d. Cultural Communication Skills

Having cultural skills is the ability to use cultural knowledge and awareness to adapt one's behavior and communication in a way that is respectful and effective. Healthcare managers should promote and model culturally appropriate communication and behavior, including the use of interpreters, culturally appropriate health education materials, and respect for patients' preferences and needs. They should also encourage staff to develop skills in cross-cultural communication, including learning to ask open-ended questions, using plain language, and recognizing nonverbal cues that may differ across cultures.

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By ensuring that patients understand their care plans and feel comfortable asking questions, healthcare managers can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.

3. Creating an Inclusive Organizational Environment

Building an inclusive environment within healthcare organizations, where diversity is respected and integrated into all aspects of care delivery, leads the way to a culturally competent environment. Healthcare managers must ensure that diversity and inclusion are embedded in the organization’s mission, policies, and practices. This includes creating a workplace where employees from diverse backgrounds are valued and supported. It is the responsibility of the administration to implement diverse recruitment strategies, ensure diverse representation in leadership roles, and promote an organizational culture where all employees feel respected and empowered. Onboarding new staff should cover cultural competency and encourage self-reflection so that each person recognizes where they have room for improvement in their personal cultural competency. An inclusive workplace fosters a positive environment where all staff feel respected and valued, which can improve job satisfaction and performance.

reflect

Take a few minutes to reflect on your current level of cultural competency. Consider the following questions:

• How comfortable do you feel interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds?
• Can you recall a time when cultural differences impacted your communication or interaction with others?
• What do you believe are your strengths in cultural competency?
• Where do you see room for improvement?

A good practice for healthcare managers is to continuously seek feedback from patients and staff about their experiences with cultural competency within the organization. Their perception of inclusiveness, respect, understanding, and safety is important, and if patient feedback is not sought, issues will not be caught early on. This can allow issues to build and worsen, which can lead to an environment of dissatisfaction and tension. Continuous feedback can help identify areas for improvement and guide ongoing efforts to enhance cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.

big idea

For healthcare managers, cultural competency is a multidimensional concept that requires ongoing attention and effort. Effective healthcare management involves not only understanding and respecting cultural differences but also ensuring that organizational systems, policies, and practices are aligned to meet the diverse needs of patients. By promoting cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, healthcare managers can contribute to improved patient satisfaction, better health outcomes, and a more inclusive healthcare environment.