Self-Assessment of Health Professionals’ Cultural Competence: Knowledge, Skills, and Mental Health Concepts for Optimal Health Care

Abstract

Current research often refers to cultural competence to improve health care delivery. In addition, it focuses on the cultural uniqueness of each health service user for optimal personalized care. This study aimed to collect self-assessment data from health professionals regarding their cultural competence and to identify their development needs. A mixed methods design was adopted using the Cultural Competence Self-assessment Checklist of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society. This was translated into Greek, validated, and then shared with health professionals in Cyprus. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview guide was designed and utilized. This was structured in exactly the same question categories as the questionnaire. Data collection took place between October 2021 and May 2022, and convenience sampling was used to recruit 499 health scientists in Cyprus. The sample comprised doctors, nurses, psychologists, midwives, social workers, and physiotherapists. Subsequently, 62 interviews were conducted with participants from the same specialties. The results showed that (compared to other health professionals) nurses and psychologists are more sensitive to issues of cultural competence. It would appear that the more socially oriented sciences had better-prepared healthcare staff to manage diversity in context. However, there is a gap between knowledge and skills when comparing doctors to nurses; they seem to be more skilled and willing to intervene actively in cases of racist behavior or problem-solving. In conclusion, participants identified the importance of their cultural competence; they also realized the importance of optimal planning of personalized health care. There is a significant need for continuous and specialized cultural competence training for all health professions.

Remote Interventions to Support Students’ Psychological Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review of Recent Approaches

“…However, it seems that in the student group these difficulties will occur less frequently than in the older group. In accordance with scientific reports on appearing differences in cultural competence in the medical professions practiced, it also seems relevant here to pay attention to raising skills in this area in expert groups that implement remote forms of mental health support [ 49 ]. This could be an important direction in personalizing the interventions used and increasing participation…”

Organisational Learning: A Pathway for the Development of health Cultural Competence

“…(5) Por otra parte, el foco profesional de la CC, ha sido poco estudiado, y los casos en que se ha realizado corresponde principalmente a la disciplina de enfermería, lo que podría provocar que se pasaran por alto los derechos de comunidades, la diversidad, el multiculturalismo, las creencias por parte de otros miembros del equipo. (8) Es esencial considerar la creciente diversidad de la fuerza laboral de en salud, quienes valoran la visión que posee la organización respecto a CC lo que demanda esfuerzos estratégicos realizados a nivel de sistemas para satisfacer las necesidades de los empleados de diversos orígenes. Esto puede ser un paso para crear equipos más efectivos y satisfechos.…”

Advancing Access to Quality LGBTQIA+ Health Care: Gender Discrimination, Socio-Cultural, and Mental Health Issues: A Mixed-Method Study

“…For the purposes of this study, a mixed methodology was used to pursue an in-depth study of human beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, ideas, and experiences. More specifically, the research tool [ 9 ] was used to measure cultural competence and assess soft skills, while at the same time, interviews were conducted with health care professionals for a more complete understanding of the skills and attitudes of the participants [ 9 , 10 ]. The design of the semi-structured interview guide was constructed for the needs of the study, which was piloted before its use.…”

“…This ability includes characteristics such as respect, adapting care to the values, needs, practises, and expectations of individuals, and providing fair and ethical care. These variables affect the health literacy of members of the same ethnic group, health behaviours, perceived risk, attitudes, and beliefs towards health care [ 9 , 10 ].…”

“…There is also a research gap in studies related to the communication between health care professionals and the LGBTQIA+ community. Due to the fact that health is not only a biological process but also includes social and psycho-emotional dimensions, this area of research requires further investigation [ 9 ].…”