Cultural Competence and Language AccessCultural competence is the ability of providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. A culturally competent health care system can help improve health outcomes and quality of care and can contribute to the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities. Language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and low English language literacy levels are a few factors that contribute to poor health outcomes for many populations. Organizations can address issues related to culture in a number of ways, including:
Cultural Competence and Language Access Resources Inclusive Language Guide Northwestern University Family Institute.
Health Literacy and Patient EngagementAdvisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry Twelfth Annual Report to HHS and The Congress of the United States
Meeting the Needs of Patients with Limited English Proficiency Guidelines for Federally Funded Healthcare Providers Farmworker Justice
How Health Providers Meet Patient Language Needs: Highlights of a Medscape Provider Survey CMS, September 2017 Cultivating Cultural Competence AHRQ CAHPS Ambulatory Care Improvement Guide The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (The National CLAS Standards) Establish a framework to serve the nation's increasingly diverse communities A Patient-Centered Guide to Implementing Language Access Services in Healthcare Organizations; U.S. HHS and Office of Minority Health Language Access: Understanding the Barriers and Challenges in Primary Care Settings; Perspectives from the Field; Association of Clinicians for the Underserved Example of a Policy and Procedure for Providing Meaningful Communication with Persons with Limited English Proficiency, HHS and Office of Civil Rights Language Access Plan U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013 Clinicians’ Obligations to Use Qualified Medical Interpreters When Caring for Patients with Limited English Proficiency American Medical Association, March 2017 The Role of Universal Health Literacy Precautions in Minimizing “Medspeak” and Promoting Shared Decision Making American Medical Association, March 2017 For more information, contact Erin Sologaistoa at [email protected] |