Cultural competence in healthcare can be defined as the ability of healthcare professionals and organizations to provide effective and reliable healthcare services that cater to each patient’s linguistic, social, and cultural needs (Grandpierre et al., 2018). Cultural competence ensures that healthcare services provided are of high quality and free of racial and ethnic discrimination (Giddens, 2021). However, increased diversity in healthcare facilities poses a challenge to healthcare services offered to culturally diverse families. The risk factors for culturally incompetent healthcare discussed in this paper are categorized into three groups; language barriers, limited resources for culturally competent healthcare services, and the effects of cultural differences on the provision of healthcare services.
Language barriers limit information exchange between patients and healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals, therefore, cannot provide all the necessary healthcare information the patient requires (Grandpierre et al., 2018). Patients are also unable to fully communicate with healthcare providers on different issues faced during treatment. Communication barriers ultimately affect the decision-making process in the course of treatment. Additionally, lack of communication affects the relationship between patients and healthcare providers, influencing the time taken to establish rapport.
The number of resources available also influences the provision of culturally competent healthcare. Limited resources affect the availability of relative linguistic material, bilingual practitioners, interpreters, and training sessions (Grandpierre et al., 2018). These factors facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers, ensuring the exchange of all relevant information. The lack of these resources affects treatment planning, materials, and goals and establishes a good relationship between patients and healthcare professionals.
Cultural differences can also influence healthcare through different views on independence, gender roles, and the decision-making process (Giger & Haddad, 2021). Disparities in beliefs can create struggles in decision-making regarding the course of treatment and choices in healthcare providers. For instance, fathers are the primary decision-makers in some cultures, while mothers are the caregivers (Grandpierre et al., 2018). Therefore, patients may be inclined to follow instructions provided by a male healthcare provider rather than female healthcare professional. These factors affect the quality of inclusive healthcare services offered to patients.
References
Giddens, J. F. (2021). Concepts for nursing practice (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
Giger, J. N. & Haddad (2021). Transcultural nursing (8th ed.). Mosby.
Grandpierre, V., Milloy, V., Sikora, L., Fitzpatrick, E., Thomas, R., & Potter, B. (2018). Barriers and facilitators to cultural competence in rehabilitation services: a scoping review. BMC health services research.