Nursing Essay: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Cultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Cultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations
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Introduction
Caring for each patient is challenging, even when the patient and the medical professional possess similar cultural beliefs. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the American population is experiencing significant shifts in diversity and ethnic makeup. Recent statistics show that 10.6% of the American population belongs to two or more races. As the population rapidly becomes more diverse, medical professionals must gain the cultural skills and knowledge needed to address the various needs of patients. This paper examines how healthcare organizations can develop and implement cultural competence action plans and the pros and cons of mandating cultural competence within organizations. The paper also discusses the evaluation of organizational cultures.
Development and implementation of cultural competence action plans
In healthcare organizations, cultural competence means medical providers appreciated the impact that social factors and culture have on patient's preferences. Therefore, the creation of a cultural competence plan should focus on promoting self-awareness, obtaining knowledge about various cultures, strengthening communication between people of different cultures, and addressing cultural disputes (Betancourt et al., 2018). The first step in the development of a culturally competent action plan is to compare the cultural needs of patients to the hospital's capability and then establishing a plan that addresses the identified deficiencies. In the majority of the cases, the identified deficiencies are likely to be related to;
* Cultural perception of illness.
* Attitude towards authority.
* Nonverbal communication, and
* Style of verbal communication.
Once the deficiencies are identified, strategies that enhance the skills, cultural knowledge, and self-awareness should be formulated. The strategies should be specific and possibly be formulated and implemented by a cultural competence committee. The strategies should also address the role of management in advancing culturally competent care, how the existing healthcare professionals will be trained, and how the hospital's culturally competent vision will be communicated to patients and the community.
The main objective of implementing a culturally competent action plan is to make cultural competence an institutional policy. Since the implementation process involves sharing the objectives and roles of each employee, a well-designed communication program should be established. According to Conrad and Poole (2012), communication programs that tie a company's goals to its main values increase motivation among employees, which sustain momentum. Therefore, a healthcare organization can use a communication program to tie its mission and vision to the goals and objectives of a culturally competent action plan. Furthermore, during the implementation process, the lack of minority representation in a hospital may limit the understanding of the employed medical providers. As a result, having an adequate number of minorities such as Alaskan Natives, African-Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans...