Scoping Review of Economical, Efficient, and Effective Cultural Competency Measures

Abstract

Identifying practical and effective tools to evaluate the efficacy of cultural competency (cc) training in medicine continues to be a challenge. Multiple measures of various lengths and stages of psychometric testing exist, but none have emerged as a “gold standard.” This review attempts to identify cc measures with potential to economically, efficiently, and effectively provide insight regarding the value of cc training efforts to make it easier for wider audience utilization. A scoping review of 11 online reference databases/search engines initially yielded 9,626 items mentioning cc measures. After the initial review, focus was placed on measures that assessed cultural competence of medical students, residents, and/or attending physicians. Six measures were identified and reviewed: (1) Cross-Cultural Care Survey, (2) Cultural Competence Health Practitioner Assessment, (3) Cultural Humility Scale, (4) Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey, (5) Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training, and (6) the Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health-Care Provider Inventory. Relevant literature documenting use and current psychometric assessments for each measure were noted. Each measure was found to be of value for its particular purpose but needs more strenuous reliability and validity testing. A commitment to include psychometric assessments should be an expected part of studies utilizing these measures.

Development and Assessment of Cultural Competemility Among Supervised Experiential Learning Preceptors in Nutrition and Dietetics Education

“…Without a clear and standard definition of cultural competency or uniformity in the delivery of learning activities among programs, it is not surprising that assessment methods of cultural competence/humility are not agreed upon (Chun, 2021). Even when there was agreement on the evaluation method between authors, the learning activities or underlying pedagogical theory differed (McCabe, 2020;Wright & Lundy, 2014).…”

“…Even when there was agreement on the evaluation method between authors, the learning activities or underlying pedagogical theory differed (McCabe, 2020;Wright & Lundy, 2014). While there are a few assessment tools available to measure a healthcare professionals' cultural competence or cultural humility, scholars argue that their reliability and validity need to be ascertained in settings beyond medical education, specifically for nutrition and dietetics (Chun, 2021;Hook, 2013;McCabe, 2020).…”

Laying the Groundwork for Cultural Faculty Development Initiatives at the John A. Burns School of Medicine

“…Standardized, validated tools to evaluate cultural training are not frequently reported in the literature, but there are promising tools available, such as the Cross-Cultural Care Survey (CCCS) and the Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey (HBAS). 14 The CCCS was designed to assess residents' self-perceived preparedness and skillfulness in providing care to patients from cultures different from their own. The HBAS was designed to measure the efficacy of cultural training for medical students.…”

Assessment through a cross-cultural lens in North American higher education

“…In addition to investing in designing culturally sensitive assessments, training programs can also focus on developing cultural competence in students, i.e., the ability to effectively interact with people of various cultural backgrounds (DeAngelis, 2015). Aligning with increasingly diverse populations (Mills, 2016), cultural competence has been introduced as an important skill set among professionals that enables them to work effectively across cultural boundaries (Office of Minority Health (OMH), 2000; The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), 2018; Chun and Jackson, 2021). The notion of cultural competence is currently adapted across different fields; yet, the initial idea seems to be rooted in the healthcare system (Cross et al, 1989;Frawley et al, 2020).…”