An Approach to Cultural Competence Education into the Pharmacy Curriculum: Glances from the Cuban Framework

Abstract

Cultural competence is crucial for improved health outcomes in populations. In addition to knowledge and skills, cultural competence involves a confident attitude that underlines regard across all cultures. The importance of cultural competence training has been considered in several pharmacy education statements as part of the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. Nevertheless, there is a significant discrepancy in the implementation of cultural competence in a curriculum. There is no consensus on how this could be implemented from a view of logical and pedagogical coherence. Consequently, a cultural and interdisciplinary approach should be considered in the curriculum design process respecting the laws and pedagogical principles that guide the process of training professionals at the universities and pharmacy schools. The main purpose of the study is to describe a cultural background to implement cultural competence education in the Cuban pharmacy curriculum. The data for this study was collected through an overall literature review. Using terms specific to Cuban health care, culture, and education, combined with terms linked to cultural competence, global health, and pharmacy education. Relevant statements by the Pan American Health (PAHO) and World Health Organizations (WHO) were extracted. Electronic sites for the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, and Pharmacy Education were reviewed. Scopus, Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and Web of Knowledge databases were examined. The outcomes of this study reveal that Cuba is a culturally rich country with complex and diverse perspectives on health. Cuban culture is the result of extremely broad and tedious transculturation processes; therefore, it is not possible to exhaust the subject in a single inquiry. Health and education in Cuba are politically entwined; statistical data, arguments, and related information are not always available to be studied or compared. This study identifies the need for a sincere effort toward global pharmacy education’s purpose; respect for religious values, traditional beliefs, historic and political factors were also taken into consideration to design a framework for cultural competence with Cuban pharmacy curricula. The repercussions of the current study will be valuable to developing curricular improvement processes aimed at implementing cultural competency in pharmacy education taking into consideration an essentially cultural perspective. Furthermore, this study offers a background to simplify culturally sensitive exchanges among practitioners, undergraduates, stakeholders, and other faculties of pharmacy members from Cuba and other nations when they involve health care and pharmacy practice or education.