Cultural competency is theorized as the sensitivity of practitioners from the dominant culture towards the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients. Less attention is placed on how communication between providers and patients can enable patients to share their health care beliefs. An evidence review of the literature around the conceptualization of cultural competency in health care was performed, and interviews were conducted aiming to understand what immigrant patients perceive as culturally competent care and its effect on the relationship between them and their providers. Definitions of cultural competence varied, and no conclusive studies linking cultural competence to improved health outcomes were found. Findings from the participant interviews helped to address gaps in the literature by confirming a preference for a patient-centred approach to culturally competent care, in addition to identifying pre-existing expectations for the health care encounter and patient-dependent factors as additional elements influencing the physician-patient relationship.

Approximately one third of the population of Louisiana is African American. According to federal reports, Blacks in Louisiana receive a poorer quality of healthcare compared to the White population. Occupational therapy is a profession of predominately White, middle class females who report in surveys that they are not adequately prepared to provide culturally sensitive care to minorities. Leaders in occupational therapy have suggested instruction in cultural competency as a way to remediate the gap in quality of healthcare services for African Americans. This pilot study examined the efficacy of providing thirteen Louisiana occupational therapists with an immersive cultural experience in the virtual 3D world of Second Life in an effort to bring about increased sensitivity towards the African American culture. The study employed a pre-test, post-test case study design using the Race Argument Scale and the Race Attitude Implicit Association Test as outcome measures. Analysis of quantitative post-test data indicated that some participants had negative attitudes towards African Americans that might affect interactions with minority clients and that the instruction in cultural competency did not significantly change these attitudes. Examination of the qualitative data collected during the instructional intervention supported this conclusion, although many occupational therapists stated that the intervention increased their awareness of the effects of discrimination on the health of African Americans.

The purpose of this study was to (1) explore the experiences and perceptions of clinicians who participated in a pilot cultural safety intervention in the Northwest Territories and (2) to make recommendations to pilot intervention in terms of design, content, and delivery. Indigenous and process evaluation research principles underlined this qualitative research project. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight clinicians who participated in the pilot intervention. Findings, identified through thematic analysis, reveal that participants were satisfied with many aspects of the pilot intervention, including key learnings, but also experienced challenges. Among these challenges were dominant discourses that suppress conversations about power and privilege. These research results will inform the sponsors of this project to further refine the pilot training model to enhance clinician learning and engagement. This study may be insightful to researchers and program developers in other jurisdictions. / Graduate

This study explored social workers perceptions of disproportionality of African American children in the child welfare system, with a particular focus how they felt child welfare agencies, and organization address the specific needs of African American children and families. Along with the types of services social workers felt could be implemented in order to address the concerns amongst African American families. Major findings in the research under represent the perspective of the social workers who work closely with these children and their families. The overall research method that was utilized in this study was qualitative by design. The data collection consisted of 11 face to face interviews with different types of social workers with current and past experiences working with African American children and families, in the child welfare agency. This research called for opinions, experience and personal beliefs from social workers. The survey consist of 13 open/close ended question and demographical questions that were personally asked to each social worker on a one on one bases. The results of this study identified African American children entering and staying in the system at longer rates, poverty, lack of resources in the community, distrust in the government and cultural competency as major contributing factors to disproportionality in the child welfare system. This study displayed a need for social workers to take on more of a strength based approach and remembering to model the NASW code of ethics when working with African American families. Recommendations for future studies include but are not limited to: exploring options to have preventative services for African American families to be offered in their homes or alternatives to easy accessible services and to explore different strategies, tool and techniques in efforts to increase the relationships between the African American families and the social workers.

African American women living in rural Ohio have a history of low mammogram screening rates and a high incidence of breast cancer identification in the late stage of the disease, leading to mortality rates exceeding those of Caucasian women. The purpose of this doctoral project was to establish a breast health educational program for health providers in a local mammography center that did not provide such a program specifically targeted for African American women. Three theoretical frameworks, the health belief model, Knowles's learning theory, and the PEN-3 model, guided the development of a staff education program based on cultural appropriateness. The practice-focused question was whether or not the educational program would enable health care providers and staff to use an evidence-based approach to promote the message of breast cancer prevention in a population at high risk for breast cancer. A radiology specialist, nurse navigator and radiology supervisor reviewed the educational plan and the Komen Toolkit materials and graded the program as strongly supporting a cultural competency program. The education and experience of the three panel experts in mammography enabled them to serve as evaluators for this research project. The strategy to use faith-based leaders' as representatives of the African American patient population collaborating with providers supported cultural competency in health care. Mammography centers and faith-based organizations benefit from this project because of its focus on culture at the center of its development. Cultural competency supports positive social change in health care for an at-risk population.

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals report experiencing discrimination in their health care that leads to avoidance of regular appointments with providers. Lack of regular primary care can delay diagnoses of preventable conditions and increase patient risks for chronic disease complications. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to understand LGBT cultural competencies for nursing and other health care providers. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews and Melnyk's levels of evidence framed this systematic literature review. Articles for inclusion were limited to those published in English between 2008 and 2018. Keywords used in the literature search included LGBT health disparity, LGBT cultural competency orientation, and nursing LGBT education. The search yielded 70 article results, which were further reduced to 12 articles by critically analyzing the applicability of the literature to the practice-related questions and removing duplicate articles. Five articles met the criteria for Levels III-IV (case-control or cohort), 6 met the criteria for Level II (randomized control trials), and 1 was Level 1 (systematic review). The analysis of evidence demonstrated the importance of providing education to nurses and other health care providers regarding LGBT cultural competency. Recommendations are offered for best practice strategies regarding the inclusion of LGBT cultural competencies in nursing orientation modules. Application of the findings may lead to positive social change if knowledgeable health care providers engage the LGBT population in primary care leading to improved health care outcomes.

This thesis describes an internship for the Department of Anthropology that was part of the Florida Health Literacy Study (FHLS) conducted at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Department of Community and Family Health in the spring and summer of 2003. The FHLS implemented Pfizer Inc.'s For Your Health program, a type 2 diabetes and hypertension education programs, at 14 community health clinics across the state of Florida. The internship was designed to elicit the experiences of 10 bilingual health educators about their experiences and their perceptions of the experiences of their Latino patients with type 2 diabetes with the Spanish version of Pfizer'ts For Your Health or Para Su Salud type 2 diabetes education program. This internship examined the Para Su Salud program for its cultural appropriateness for the diverse Latino population in the community health clinics in Florida. This internship combined the fields of anthropology and public health to provide a holistic analysis of the issues important to the Latino Health Educators participating in Pfizer's Para Su Salud type 2 diabetes education program. Through anthropological methods including in-depth interviews, class and clinic observations and patient satisfaction surveys, this internship found that the program was well-liked in the community health clinics and it could provide more culturally appropriate themes and food options for type 2 diabetic Latinos in Florida. This thesis makes nine specific recommendations for improving the appropriateness and ultimate success of the Para Su Salud educational program.

Cultural competency is theorized as the sensitivity of practitioners from the dominant culture towards the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients. Less attention is placed on how communication between providers and patients can enable patients to share their health care beliefs. An evidence review of the literature around the conceptualization of cultural competency in health care was performed, and interviews were conducted aiming to understand what immigrant patients perceive as culturally competent care and its effect on the relationship between them and their providers. Definitions of cultural competence varied, and no conclusive studies linking cultural competence to improved health outcomes were found. Findings from the participant interviews helped to address gaps in the literature by confirming a preference for a patient-centred approach to culturally competent care, in addition to identifying pre-existing expectations for the health care encounter and patient-dependent factors as additional elements influencing the physician-patient relationship.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 157 pages. / Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: This thesis describes an internship for the Department of Anthropology that was part of the Florida Health Literacy Study (FHLS) conducted at the University of South Florida College of Public Health, Department of Community and Family Health in the spring and summer of 2003. The FHLS implemented Pfizer Inc.'s For Your Health program, a type 2 diabetes and hypertension education programs, at 14 community health clinics across the state of Florida. The internship was designed to elicit the experiences of 10 bilingual health educators about their experiences and their perceptions of the experiences of their Latino patients with type 2 diabetes with the Spanish version of Pfizer'ts For Your Health or Para Su Salud type 2 diabetes education program. This internship examined the Para Su Salud program for its cultural appropriateness for the diverse Latino population in the community health clinics in Florida. / ABSTRACT: This internship combined the fields of anthropology and public health to provide a holistic analysis of the issues important to the Latino Health Educators participating in Pfizer's Para Su Salud type 2 diabetes education program. Through anthropological methods including in-depth interviews, class and clinic observations and patient satisfaction surveys, this internship found that the program was well-liked in the community health clinics and it could provide more culturally appropriate themes and food options for type 2 diabetic Latinos in Florida. This thesis makes nine specific recommendations for improving the appropriateness and ultimate success of the Para Su Salud educational program. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

As Canada becomes increasingly multicultural, counsellors along with other mental health professionals are challenged to find ways to meet the varying needs of an increasingly multiracial, multi-religious, and multicultural population (En-Nabut, 2007; Lambert, 2008; Qasqas & Jerry, 2014). Gaining knowledge about counselling Muslim women is essential as the Muslim community is growing throughout Canada. Muslim women face various challenges as they endeavor to respond to changing social conditions as an underserved minority and religious community (En-Nabut, 2007). A basic interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was utilized to investigate the dynamics of working with Muslim women in a therapeutic setting. Next, ways of being more culturally informed in working with this population, from the perspective of female Muslim mental health professionals were explored. Interviews were conducted with five female Muslim mental health professionals. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to analyze patterns in the data. Four themes emerged: (a) seeking help is not easy: challenges faced by Muslim women clients, (b) lack of awareness: fear of the unknown, (c) participants’ suggested solution: psychoeducation and cross-cultural training, and (d) the building blocks of client-counsellor relationship: trust and communication. Findings are described alongside implications for counselling practice and future research.