OT Cultural Competency: A Resources Guide
This resource was originally designed by two students who graduated in 2009, Kelly Bjoralt and Kristy Henson. Their focus was on providing information and resources for healthcare providers on the primary cultural groups in the Midwest. The mission of this site is to help facilitate cultural knowledge, understanding and skills that are vital in becoming a culturally competent occupational therapist because we believe this is essential to being a quality and competent healthcare provider.
Definition
The definition of culture and cultural competency varies throughout current literature. For purposes of this site, the definition by Bucher, 2010 will be used. "Cultural Competence refers to a set of attitudes and skills that make it possible for organizations and staff not only to acknowledge cultural differences but also incorporate these differences in working with people from various cultures. In the process of learning to be diversity conscious, healthcare providers undergo profound personal change" (pg. 67).
Bucher, R.D. (2010). Diversity consciousness. Opening our minds to people, cultures and opportunities (3rd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson
Importance
One's culture ultimately affects views on health care and the decision-making process, which in turn influences the quality of care and recovery time of the patient. Medical professionals are increasingly being called upon to demonstrate clinical understanding of culture while treating clients. According to the United States Census Bureau, "Ethnic minorities now comprise about 30% of the population, and demographic trends show that they will become the majority by the year 2050." Occupational therapists and healthcare providers in general, must develop cultural competency in order to deliver quality, client-centered care to all clients.
Resources
- Instructions for Assessment of Organizational Cultural Competence
- Self- Assessment Checklist
- National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC)
- The Family PACT Linguistic and Cultural Competency Toolkit
- Center for the Study of Issues in Public Mental Health, Multicultural Research Issues
- Immigration Policy Center
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- International Multicultural Institute
- Joint Commission
- "Matters of Race" (PBS Series)
- Facts for Features & Special Editions Resources on Information Related to Minority Groups
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Barriers to Gaining Competency
Bucher (2010) states that, "before we can overcome barriers, we have to acknowledge them, in ourselves, others, and in our communities (pg. 106)." The following table contains just a few barriers that can prevent becoming one from becoming culturally competent.
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Cultural bias (making unwarranted assumptions about someone else) e.g. "you talk funny" |
Lack of awareness of cultural differences |
Lack of awareness of cultural differences |
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Ethnocentric: thinking your way is the only way or only right way |
Inactive listening |
Close minded: unwilling to think of others ideas or values |
|
Saying "them" versus "us" |
Isolate self from cultural events or those I consider different |
Blame a whole cultural group for something someone may have done to you or someone you know who is from a different cultural group |
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Making judgments |
Believing I am better than someone else just because of how they look or believe |
Afraid of another group |
|
Ignoring differences |
Ignoring similarities |
Expect those who I feel are different than me to act a certain way just because they are from a certain group. |
|
Difficulty acknowledging that not everyone in a 'group' is the same |
I see no reason to examine who I am, I know who I am, that's stupid. |
When someone from another culture group does something, I may use it to support a bias, stereotype or prejudice I have. |
|
Unwilling to learn |
Unwilling to extend grace |
Unwilling to see my own faults |
Choosing Credible Websites/Sources
It is important to learn how to choose credible sites for your information. Most people don't know that there is no one who has to judge the quality or accuracy of the information found on the Internet before you use it. Some sites are created by experts, but the majority are designed and authored by non-experts.
- Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask - A five-point evaluation checklist from the UC Berkeley Library.
- Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages (Jim Kapoun) -To evaluate websites go to this table of criteria and questions to ask when judging the reliability of information on the Web.
Medical Interpretation Services
- American Medical Association
- Cross Cultural Health Care Program
- Federal and State Laws on Interpreting
- Office of Minority Health. National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care: Final Report
- Patient Safety Authority
- Limited English Proficiency Resources and Tools
Health Care Disparities
- American Medical Association
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Healthypeople.gov
- National Conference of State Legislators
- National Institute of Health
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
OT Journal Articles
AOTA's societal statement on health disparities
Bass-Haugen, J.D. (2009). Health disparities: Examination of evidence relevant for occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63, 24–34.
Braveman, B., & Bass-Haugen, J. D. (2009). From the Desks of the Guest Editors—Social justice and health disparities: An evolving discourse in occupational therapy research and intervention. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63, 7–12.
Ford, K, Waring, L, & Boggis, T. (2007). Living on the edge. The hidden voices of health disparities. OT Practice, 12(5), 17–22.
Cultural Groups
This OT Cultural Competence Resource Guide was created with one main goal: to provide a condensed list of resources that clinicians and students can use to facilitate individual development of multicultural competency. The OT Cultural Competence website provides a collaboration of resources that will offer educational information on cultural issues and links to access additional materials in the Midwest. Because of the magnitude a project such as this could result in, the decision to begin with the Midwest was made. In addition, the cultural groups included in this initial endeavor are the ones with the highest numbers in the Midwest.
The website offers information on how cultural practices may impact therapy, methods to obtain additional resources and suggestions of how to guide the therapeutic process. The resources provided are not all-inclusive, but aim to supplement knowledge gained through education and experience. Our aim is to provide material in which one can direct his or her own learning and further develop a level of cultural competence required in the delivery of quality and client-centered care. As a result, it is our hope that clients and clinicians will experience greater satisfaction throughout the therapeutic process.