Question

Explain why health care workers need to be culturally competent.

Answer 1

Culturally competancy requires commitment from a healthcare personal to be responsive to the different attitude, verbal cues, and body languages of the patient that they are caring for. It may not require that the healthcare provider uses the same methods of healthcare in the country of origin but it does require that the healthcare worker has a familarity with the country of origin. It has been observed that understanding the different cues in the healthcare settings can help to improve patient's satisfaction and healthcare outcomes which is the primary responsibility of every healthcare worker. While working for a healthcare, a professional will recognize with time that at one size does not fit all and one can not stereotype any particular culture. The professional have to recognize and ask their patient about what is there in their culture that they want to infuse into their healthcare, so that the professional can assure of a more satisfying patient outcome. In short, a commitment to culturally competent care can provide new dimension to patient satisfaction. Any reason to celebrate someone's diversity and to recognize something that is unique and special to a certain group of people will definitely going to benefit the patient-provider relationship, patient's contentment, quality of care and the overall outcome.