Introduction
Historically, healthcare professional practiced in communities where they shared the same culture with those who seek various services. As such, this made it easy for the provision of health care at both individual and institutional levels. With the increase in population diversity in the nation as well as other regions in the world, health care provision has been affected by cultural and social factors that arise with the diversity in population composition (Marshall, 2005). In realization of this issue, it is imperative that health care professionals and institutions develop cultural competency. In this light, this paper will discuss issues in culture and social diversity that affect health promotion. Therein, there will be a discussion of how emphasizing cultural competency can help improve healthcare service at institutions and individual health care providers’ levels.
Cultural/Ethnic, Socioeconomic & Cultural Competency
As mentioned in the introduction, the current healthcare industry is faced with the challenge of cultural and social diversity. People from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds have varying ways of what they believe to be right or wrong. As such, this extends to what they would be willing to accept as policies and procedures in health care organizations. For example, when in some health institutions, persons with chronic illnesses are recommended with euthanasia in the incidence that there are no other available treatment options. However, in most cultures people hold that doctors should not be granted power over human lives.
Some cultures and ethnicities such as Muslim do not consume meat. Most medicines have a substance called gelatin base which is obtained from pork. Informing Muslim patients about such medicine components would present issues in treatment procedures. As such, these are example of cultural and ethnic factors that pose barriers to health care providers in administering services to people from diverse backgrounds.
Socioeconomic issues refer to the differences in terms of economic endowments that exist in any given society. These have a negative impact on health promotion since it becomes increasingly difficult for health care managers to develop equitable services for all people regardless of their economic backgrounds. For example, the disparity in economic endowments among different population members makes it extremely difficult for health care professionals in setting hospital charges. This is because unlike most organizations’ motive, which is making profits, medical institutions have a moral obligation to promote health in the communities. As such, both sociocultural and economic issues are relevant as far as health promotion is concerned. To overcome the challenges presented in these environments, it is crucial that health care organizations develop a policy of cultural competency.
Principles of Cultural Competency in Health Care
According to Lehman, Fenza, & Smith, 2010 cultural competency has become a fundamental factor for professionals such as doctors and nurses and medical organizations in providing services to socially and culturally diverse communities. The lack of or inadequacy of cultural competency in health care often leads to discrimination in patient treatment, reduced patient compliance and reduced satisfaction in health care services especially to the minority communities. In addressing racial, ethnic and cultural differential treatments of patients, most hospital and health care professional have developed and adopted cultural competency competencies.
In essence, the term cultural competence in health care service provision revolves around the ability of medical professionals and organizations to recognize the cultural, ethnic or socioeconomic differences among their patients and support them by laying appropriate strategies (Institute for Diversity in Healthcare, 2013). Most of these strategies should revolve around fair treatments of all patients. Cultural competency in health care organizations includes various aspects such as assisting, supporting and facilitating all persons to receive health care services that are in line with their cultural needs.
As such, developing an effective cultural competency program is a fundamental step in promoting health in different communities. Notably, by employing cultural competency policies in health care service provision, it is possible to support the health requirements of the different cultural, ethnic groups in a community. A cultural competency policy facilitates the accomplishment of patient-centered service provision, which is a milestone in promoting the overall health in a community. In this light, it is imperative that healthcare organizations adhere to the national or institutional guidelines regarding cultural competency to overcome cultural, social, ethnic and economic challenges in health care service offering.
Application of Cultural Competency Policies in Promoting Health
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia recognizes that overcoming cultural issues in healthcare is one of the most important steps in promoting health care to all members of the population in the future. In this way, the institution recommends ha health care organizations assess their surrounding population or rather the one they mostly serve to be able to develop effective cultural competency guidelines.
The central mission of the NHMRC concerning cultural competency is that health care organizations should seek to develop policies that support and facilitate the provision of health care to a diverse population (Rose, 2013). This can be accomplished through partnerships with other health organizations as well as with the NHMRC itself in developing the most effective strategies to promote health in cultural and economically diverse populations (Institute for Diversity in Healthcare, 2013). For example, by been sensitive to the socioeconomic, cultural or ethnic differences in a society, health care professionals and institutions can be able to better collaborate with different patients in undertaking different procedures. At the same time, it helps create a strong relationship between the institution of health care and the overall population which is a key step promoting health on a national level.
Prerequisites of Ensuring Cultural and Social Safety in Health Care
As seen above, cultural, social, ethnic and economic differences among population members has a key role in influencing procedures and policy development in health care organizations. To reduce conflicts between medical organizations and cultural or social differences, it is critical to adopt certain strategies that revolve around cultural competency which is NHMRC main objective, promoting national health in the future. To begin with, health care professional and organizations should study and understand the cultural and social differences that exist in a population. This can be accomplished through a study of the cultures of different communities in a population. Understanding the values of different people is a key to reducing conflicts between health care providers and patients.
At the same time, this helps increase patient collaboration, which is critical in promoting health. Health care providers should educate the staff on the issue of cultural/social differences and its influence on health care. Specifically, health care organizations should undertake regular raining programs with the goal of educating the medical staff on cultural and social trends in health care provision. Regarding the subject of healthcare promotion that is the overall population, one of the most effective ways of ensuring their safety in health care is employing public campaigns to emancipate people from different cultures or ethnic backgrounds to collaborate with health care bodies in establishing a culturally competent health care environment. This would particularly go a long way in reducing patient-doctor conflicts which arise due to lack of awareness on the doctors’ part of cultural aspects which affect policies and procedures in hospitals.
For example arguing from the example of the Muslim community which forms a significant part of the population it is essential that medical organizations determine ways to offer treatments to female Muslim patients with regards to their culture. The government, through agencies such as the NHMRC should lay a key part in educating the general public on the issue of opening up to the health care providers on any cultural, social or economic issue that could potentially affect their accessibility to equal service provision. Adopting these steps would adequately see to the promotion of health in different communities as far as cultural, social and economic barriers to health care are concerned.
Conclusion
Cultural competency has become one of the key areas in ensuring health promotion in the future. It relates to all undertakings that health care professionals and organizations to understand facilitate and support equal provision of health care services to a diverse population. Adopting a cultural competency policy at organizational level is fundamental to overcoming the cultural, economic and social barriers in health care service provision. At the same time, it is imperative that all health care stakeholders form a partnership in developing strategies in health care cultural competency. This will go a long way in ensuring a better state of health provision to all members of the population now and in the future.
References
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