Cultural Competency in Healthcare

What are the implications of the demographics in the workforce?

People of color now make up about 29% of the total workforce. Immigrants now make up 22% of the total workforce.

What is affirmative action?

Policies favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination.

What is assimilation?

the process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas.

Why is the Main Goal of Cultural Competency important?

-America is becoming increasingly diverse. -Minority Groups are growing in numbers. -By 2050, we predict that minority groups will outnumber Caucasian.

Caucasian's reaction to demographic changes [Part 2]

-Blame non-whites for "taking our jobs". -Want immigrants to "go back to where you came from". -Growth of white supremacist groups. Results? A society that is polarized along color lines.

1a) Examples of cultural destruction?

-Denying ppl access to help -Removing children from their families -Purposely risking the well-being of minority groups (i.e. in social and medical experiments)

What is cultural awareness?

-Develops from knowledge -An in-depth self-examination of one's own background, recognizing biases, prejudices, and assumptions about other people

What is cultural sensitivity?

-Develops out of awareness -The ability to be open to learning about, and accepting different cultural groups -The learner no longer carries his/her own culturally-determined interpretations of the situation or behavior.

3) Culturally blind:

-Encouraging assimilation -Trying to be unbiased, but not valuing or recognizing the differences in cultures -ignoring the cultural strengths, and uniqueness of people of color.

Reaction to demographic changes from Caucasians:

-Have felt threatened by these changes. -Increase in anti-immigrant feelings & legislation. -Efforts to overturn affirmative action, policies, and practices.

2) Cultural incapacity:

-Lacking the capacity to help people of color -Discriminating in hiring practices -Not welcoming clients of color -having lower expectations of clients of color

Failure to understand people can lead to the Failure to help. Result?:

-Medical Facilities and services going unused -Patients not learning of services available to them -Patients feeling that they are not understood -Patients feeling that their needs are not being met -Patients mistrust the motive & ability of a provider

6) Cultural Proficiency:

-Offer cross-cultural services -Advocate for multiculturalism -Engage in research on how to better serve culturally different clients.

How is discrimination manifested?

-Refusing to offer services to those who are racially, or ethnically different -Being unaware of one's own prejudices, how how they may be inadvertently communicated to others -Being unaware of differences in cultures, and cultural definitions of health, and illness -Not adapting practices to the specific cultural needs of patients.

4) Culturally pre-competent:

-Sincere efforts are made to be more multicultural -Acknowledge that they may have problems serving minority clients -Tend to resort to tokenism

What is cultural competence?

-The final stage of cross-cultural understanding. -The behaviors, and attitudes integrated into the businesses, or professionals. -The individual is able to digest the information received through training, and apply them into the work environment.

How do you know if an organization is culturally competent?

-They respect the unique, and culturally defined needs of various client populations -They acknowledge culture as a predominant force in shaping behaviors, values, and institutions -They view natural systems (family, community, etc.) as primary mechanisms of support -They start with the "family" as defined by each culture, as the primary, and preferred point of intervention -They believe that diversity within cultures is as important as diversity between cultures -They understand that minority clients are usually best served by persons who are part of, or in tune with, their culture.

5) Cultural competence:

-Well-versed in areas essential to competent cross-cultural services. -Hire unbiased employees -seek advice and consultation from minority communities clients.

What is cultural knowledge?

A basic understanding of distinct features that constitutes a culture.

Defining Cultural Competency:

A set of behaviors, attitudes and policies that enable an effective multi-cultural environment.

Population changes in the united states since 1980: Asians: Hispanics: Native Americans: African Americans: Caucasians:

Asians: Increase of 123% Hispanics: Increase of 65% Native Americans: Increase of 30% African Americans: Increase of 13% Caucasians: Decrease of 17%

Reaction to demographic changes from people of color:

Believe that as minority groups grow, Caucasians will no longer be able to justify injustice, and disparity.

Population prediction for 2050

Continued increase of Hispanics and Asians. Continued decrease of Caucasians to 44% of the population.

What is the opposite of cultural proficiency?

Cultural Destruction

What is the last step Cultural Competence is trying to achieve?

Cultural Proficiency

How can empowerment become difficult?

Empowerment can be difficult if families, or spouses become overly-involved in the medical process.

1) What is cultural destruction?

Having policies and practices that are destructive to those not within the majority.

Examples of empowerment?

Healthcare workers can encourage women from traditional cultures to be more independent and assertive in making decisions for themselves.

Statistical Birthrates in respect to Caucasians: Hispanics in respect to Caucasians. Asians in respect to Caucasians.

Hispanics is 1.7x greater than Caucasians. Asians is 3-7x greater than Caucasians.

What explains the changes and estimated changes of the population of America?

Immigrants and Birthrates

What should providers be aware of about discrimination?

Providers must become aware of how their attitudes, and socialization may impact how they treat their patients.

What is the definition of Cross Cultural Understanding?

The ability to recognize, and properly respond to misunderstandings in divergent cultural practices.

What is tokenism?

The practice of doing something to make people believe you're being fair when it's not actually true.

What is Empowerment?

The process of increasing a person's strength, power, and authority, regarding their decision-making abilities.

How do we measure cross cultural understanding?

With 4 things: Knowledge Awareness Sensitivity Competence

What is the Main Goal of Cultural Competency in Healthcare?

To deliver competent healthcare services to people of different cultures. i.e Cross-cultural delivery.

How do we enhance cross-cultural understanding?

Training - because it is enables the individual to have a greater appreciation of cultural differences.

What is discrimination?

Unfair treatment of a person, or group that is not based on the individual's merit.

What should you know about Empowering others?

We should know that healthcare workers can help empower others. However, they can't expect people to quickly reach empowerment.