Cultural Competence in Healthcare
March 18, 2019Information
Akshatha Kiran
The Roger Barnett Public Health Video Challenge 2019
- 00:02In the last 50 years nearly 40 million immigrants have migrated
- 00:06to the US.
- 00:08By 2055, researchers predict that over half the American
- 00:11population will hail from non-American descent.
- 00:15And every single individual no matter where they come from
- 00:18or where they go, has the right to belong here.
- 00:22Over the last decade, leaders in the medical
- 00:24and public health fields have pushed for the integration of cultural competence into
- 00:28standard curriculums.
- 00:29They understand that competent care is a crucial step to reduce health inequities
- 00:33in our communities.
- 00:35However, teaching cultural competence in a classroom is not enough.
- 00:39Studies show that professionals struggle to apply the competence in context
- 00:43with their patients and clients.
- 00:45This weakness leads to members of our communities feeling unwelcome.
- 00:49Patients then have lowered adherence to treatment plants,
- 00:52increasing health care costs
- 00:53and hospital readmissions, bringing them back into contact
- 00:56with incompetent care.
- 00:58So how do we stop this cycle?
- 01:01We teach our future generations to use intersectionality
- 01:04and the socioeconomic model to create sustainable solutions.
- 01:07We teach ourselves to look at our neighbors in a way that respects their identities
- 01:11and narratives.
- 01:12We must better equip ourselves to think like the communities we serve.
- 01:16Because together we represent the diverse microcosms
- 01:20of our world. Cultural competence should be a standard in the work
- 01:23we do. Our communities need it
- 01:27because no matter where you're from when you here,
- 01:30you belong.