Culturally Effective Care Resource
Culturally Effective Care: According to The Office of Minority Health cultural competency is “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and polices that come together in a system, agency or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations.” 1 Simply put, “cultural competency” is what allows you to interact effectively and appropriately with people (patients) from different cultures. However, the term “cultural competency” is misleading because it suggests a definite end point when one becomes “competent.” Cultural competency is really a process that is augmented by cultural knowledge at each stage: familiarity with a culture’s history, belief systems, values and behaviors. The process is thought to proceed as follows:
Cultural Awareness: Awareness of the differences that exist between cultures
Cultural Sensitivity: Acknowledgement of the differences and similarities between cultures without judgment 2
Cultural Competency: A process that allows an individual or group of individuals to work effectively cross-culturally with the capacity to:
1. value diversity
2. conduct self-assessment
3. manage the dynamics of difference
4. acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge
5. adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of the communities served 3
To learn more on the definition of cultural competency and its importance, visit the following sites:
- Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
http://www.omhrc.gov
- National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University:
Smedley BD , Stith AY, Nelson AR (Eds): Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities . Institute of Medicine, 2003, The National Academies Press, Washington DC. This can be read on-line at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10260#toc - Health Care Quality and Disparities Reports, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nhdr03/nhdrsum03.htm
- Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice: http://cecp.air.org/cultural/
- Bioethics Resources on the Web - Culture, Diversity & Health Disparities in Medicine: http://bioethics.od.nih.gov/culturalcomp.html
Resources:
Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. How Does Cultural Competency Differ from Cultural Sensitivity/Awareness?
http://cecp.air.org/cultural/Q_howdifferent.htm
National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. Cultural Competence: Definition and Conceptual Framework.
http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/NCCC/foundations/frameworks.html
The Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “What is Cultural Competency?”
http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=11