Crash Course: Cultural Competence in Medicine

For many, the motivation to pursue a career in the medical field is a desire to interact with and serve others in an extremely meaningful way. However, it can be a challenge to connect with the patients in their communities if doctors don’t understand their background. That is why cultural competence, an area of study that has assumed an increasingly critical role in healthcare.

What is Cultural Competence?

A report from researchers at Harvard and Cornell defines cultural competence as the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients (Health Policy Institute). The goal of teaching/developing/educating doctors to become culturally competent is to reduce racial, economic, ethnic, and social disparities. A patient’s ethnic background is sure to affect where and how they seek care, their ability to communicate their symptoms, and whether or not they are able to understand the recommendations given to them by their doctor.

Creating a culturally competent healthcare system requires practices and policies that support meaningful interactions in cross-cultural situations. In order to move towards this goal, it is important that healthcare providers possess not only an understanding and respect for other patients’ ethnic backgrounds and experiences but also the ability to respond to patients in ways that are consistent with their cultural practices.

Why it Matters

Racial disparities in healthcare are incredibly prevalent throughout the United States. And these long-standing systemic health and social inequities have become increasingly visible since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Statistics have shown that Black Americans, Latinos, and Asians received worse care and had worse access to care than White patients (Health Policy Institute). Furthermore, a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has recognized language barriers as a significant contributor to disparities in healthcare (Regis College). Patient dissatisfaction and overall lower quality of care are inevitable with these language and communication issues.

Systemic health and social inequities make it difficult for patients of all walks of life to receive the same degree of care - language barriers and low literacy rates can make for stark differences in care (Health Policy Institute). While failure to acknowledge and address these differences can divide us, cultural competence is the key to overcoming these disparities. By enabling better communications, it ultimately unites patients with providers in spite of their differences.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Achieving cultural competence in medical practice is quite a tall order - it’s also not a simple on-off switch. It requires work at all levels of the healthcare system, from the administrative level to the individual physician. . However, there are several steps that can be taken to begin working toward a better standard of care for all (American Hospital Association):

• Diversity training

• Provide interpreter services

• Provide bilingual services

• Recruit staff members of various ethnic backgrounds

• Expand hours of operation

• Place doctors’ offices in geographic areas that are easily accessible for certain populations

• Provide written materials in various languages

These are all large-scale administrative changes. As aspiring medical professionals, to ensure that we take a cross-cultural approach with our patients, we must embrace every opportunity available to learn. Cultural competence is an ongoing process, but its end result - a better quality of medical care for all - is worth the effort.

Works Cited

Becoming a culturally competent health care organization: American Hospital Association. American Hospital Association. https://www.aha.org/ahahret-guides/2013-06-18-becoming-culturally-competent-health-care-organization

Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions? Health Policy Institute. (2019, February 13). https://hpi.georgetown.edu/cultural/

Elder, N. C., & Kripalani, S. Cultural Competence and Patient Safety. PSNet. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/perspective/cultural-competence-and-patient-safety

Why Is Cultural Competence Important in Health Care? Regis College Online. (2020, September 18). https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/why-is-cultural-competence-important-in-healthcare/