Cultural competence, mandated by Federal law since 1964, has not been
appropriately addressed due to its lack of specifics and the lack of specifics within
subsequent mandates. This study was designed to determine specific key elements of
cultural and linguistic appropriateness which would "operationalize" cultural
competence in the provision of healthcare services. Knowing the elements of cultural
and linguistic appropriateness will assist non-Hispanic healthcare providers to remove
personal barriers of cultural and linguistic differences for Texas' Hispanic population.
The problem of cultural competence gained national focus during the Civil
Rights movement of the '60s. Current research revealed that Hispanics continue to have
the worst healthcare outcomes of any minority population. Census data reflecting that
Hispanics are the fastest growing segment of the population, with Texas having the
nation's second largest Hispanic population, make it imperative for healthcare providers
to determine methods to improve healthcare for Texas' Hispanic population. A Delphi Technique was used to extract expert opinions from 26 highly
qualified, Texas Hispanic healthcare providers regarding the key elements of cultural
and linguistic appropriateness for Texas' Hispanic population. The ultimate goal of the
research was to determine essential information which would assist non-Hispanic
healthcare providers in removing personal barriers of cultural and linguistic
appropriateness to the delivery of healthcare services for Texas' Hispanics.
Through the approximately 16-month process of the Delphi Technique, the Panel
produced 249 distinct elements in 11 groups of cultural appropriateness and 8 groups of
linguistic appropriateness. Members of the Panel ranked the groups for importance,
indicated the level of agreement/disagreement with each element, and rated each element
for its individual importance.
This study is important because it is the first time an expert panel of solely
Hispanic healthcare providers has spoken collectively about what constitutes cultural
and linguistic appropriateness. This research can provide a framework for professional
practices, grant providing organizations, or evaluation teams to assess professionals and
programs to determine their degree of cultural and linguistic appropriateness. The work
can also form the basis for curricula to be used in Texas' healthcare professions
preparatory schools or continuing education for practicing healthcare professionals.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/4908 |
| Date | 25 April 2007 |
| Creators | Ponder, Linda Milam |
| Contributors | Green, B. Lee, Pruitt, B. E. |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 372186 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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