Cultural Competence in Pediatrics: Health Care Provider Knowledge, Awareness, and Skills
Date
2015-12-15
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Publisher
MDPI AG
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a cultural competence training
(CCT) program on pediatric health care providers’ self-reported ability to provide culturally
competent care to a diverse pediatric patient population. This quantitative, nested ecologic
level study design used a repeated measure in the form of pre-test and post-test data to assess
percent change in providers’ cultural awareness, experience working or learning about different
cultures, and preparedness and skills in working with different cultures before and after CCT.
The study was conducted between 2011 and 2012 in a pediatric hospital and associated outpatient
offices. The sample consisted of pediatric health care providers from various departments, mainly
physicians and nurses (n = 69). Participants completed a pre-intervention cultural competence
assessment and then were subjected to a cultural competence-training program, after which they
completed the assessment a second time. The baseline and post-intervention data were collected in
the form of Likert scales and transformed into a quintile or quartile scale as appropriate. Data were
assessed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon’s signed-rank tests. Providers indicated a 13% increase
in knowledge (53.9% vs. 66.7%, t = 3.4, p = 0.001), 8.7% increase in awareness (46.7% vs. 55.4%,
t = 3.0, p = 0.002), and 8% statistically marginal increase in skills (66.4% vs. 74.5%, z = 1.8, p = 0.06).
Culturally competent training in a pediatric environment significantly enhances knowledge,
awareness and to some extent skills in providing care to culturally diverse patient population.
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Citation
Dabney, Kirk, et al. "Cultural Competence in Pediatrics: Health Care Provider Knowledge, Awareness, and Skills." International journal of environmental research and public health 13.1 (2015): 14.