A new article from the Harvard Business Review makes a case for hospitals to prioritize cultural competency. The article speaks to the importance of social determinants of health and addressing an often wide cultural and socio-economic gap between doctors and patients that can adversely affect health outcomes.
Pointing to cultural competency training as an immediate and tangible step hospitals can take, 3 best practices are outlined as the first places to start.
- Be creative and expansive about addressing language barriers.
- Be alert for, and responsive to, mental health challenges.
- Be mindful of stereotypes.
https://hbr.org/2017/05/why-more-hospitals-should-prioritize-cultural-competency