Question

1 page, (250 - 300 words)

How does implicit bias affect health care? What has been your experience with others cultural competency when providing healthcare to you?

Answer 1

A number of studies have shown that people with more implicit ethnic/racialbias have poorer interpersonal interactions with minority individuals, often in very subtle ways. 6,9,10 Such interactions, in turn, may contribute to a lack of trust and commitment on the part of the patient, leading to poor adherence.As with any interaction, implicit bias can have adverse effects on the patient experience. By damaging patient-provider interactions,implicit bias can adversely impact healthoutcomes. In many situations, patients are able to pick up on a provider's implicit bias, and patients often report a poor experience for that, The report found evidence that “stereotyping,biases and uncertainty on the part ofhealthcare providers can all contribute to unequal treatment.” Moreover, even white clinicians who don't believe they are prejudiced “typically demonstrate unconscious implicit negative racial attitudes and stereotypes. There is extensive evidence and research that finds unconscious biases can lead todifferential treatment of patients by race, gender, weight, age, language, income and insurance status.

The Importance of Cultural Competence in Healthcare

“Organizations that are culturally competenthave improved health outcomes, increased respect and mutual understanding from patients, and increased participation from the local community,” the report said.Culturally competent care is defined as carethat respects diversity in the patient population and cultural factors that can affecthealth and health care, such as language, communication styles, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. ... The populations to which the term cultural competence applies are also ill-defined.

CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN HEALTH CARE?

1. Provide interpreter services.
2. Recruit and retain minority staff.
3. Provide training to increase culturalawareness, knowledge, and skills.
4. Coordinate with traditional healers.
5. Use community health workers.
6. Incorporate culture-specific attitudes and values into health promotion tools
7. Cultural Competence Important?Cultural competence encourages the acknowledgement and acceptance of differences in appearance, behavior andculture. In this field, you will encounter diverse clients from a wide range of backgrounds