Cultural Competency to provide quality care for patients and their families
Author(s)
Martha Carvalho
Document Description
Cultural competency is the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. It is a tool to facilitate the access to genetic information, and to provide families from different cultures with the benefit of resources and services available.
Culture shapes personal and group values and attitudes. The perception of illness and disease, and their causes, varies according to culture. Cultural background influences how people seek support and care and how they behave toward health care providers, including perceptions about what works and what doesn’t work, what is helpful and what is not, what makes sense and what does not. These issues show the need for health and support organizations to develop policies, practices and procedures to deliver culturally competent care.
Date Added
July 10, 2009
Keywords
conference 2009, Discovering Openness in Health Systems, cultural competence, cultural diversity, values, culture, race and ethnicity, genetics and philosophical and religious issues
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Document Description
Cultural competency is the ability to interact effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. It is a tool to facilitate the access to genetic information, and to provide families from different cultures with the benefit of resources and services available. Culture shapes personal and group values and attitudes. The perception of illness and disease, and their causes, varies according to culture. Cultural background influences how people seek support and care and how they behave toward health care providers, including perceptions about what works and what doesn’t work, what is helpful and what is not, what makes sense and what does not. These issues show the need for health and support organizations to develop policies, practices and procedures to deliver culturally competent care.
Date Added
July 10, 2009
Keywords
conference 2009, Discovering Openness in Health Systems, cultural competence, cultural diversity, values, culture, race and ethnicity, genetics and philosophical and religious issues