Experiences of genetic counselors practicing in multiple languages: Progress and places for improvement.

As awareness of the value of genetic counseling services increases, there has been greater recognition of the need to diversify service delivery into different languages. Studies within genetic counseling and related fields have identified complications that can arise from language nonconcordance between provider and patient. A strategy to mitigate language barriers is prioritizing the development of a multilingual workforce of genetic counselors (GCs) who can communicate with patients in their preferred language. This exploratory study assessed the experiences of multilingual GCs who have practiced in a clinical role with the aim to identify relevant challenges and differences when counseling in their nondominant language. Statistical analysis was performed to identify differences in session tasks and emotions experienced when counseling in one's nondominant language versus their dominant language. Data analysis identified an increase in reported difficulty level for most clinical tasks while using a nondominant language, most notably for difficulty with psychosocial counseling, disclosing results, and administrative tasks. Participants were also surveyed on employer support and resources provided. Overall, results suggest that multilingual GCs may benefit from greater support in certain areas within clinical roles to enhance their ability to provide patient care in their nondominant language.

Increasing Oncology Nurse Cultural Knowledge, Sensitivity, and Humility in Caring for the Native Hawai'ian and Pacific Islander Population.

Stress affects people's physiologic and mental well-being. Compounded stress from natural disasters, intergenerational trauma, stigma, and mistrust of the dominant society may lead to illness and potential oncologic disorde.

A Qualitative Exploration of Refugee Experiences of Access to a Dedicated Multi-Disciplinary Refugee Health Team in an Australian Context: Implication for Future Care.

AIMS: Refugees experience physical and mental health issues that need attention following settlement in a new community. However, access to and utilisation of healthcare services is challenging. We aimed to explore the experience of refugee access to a dedicated multi-disciplinary refugee health team. METHODS: An interpretative qualitative study. 17 qualitative interviews were conducted with Ezidi refugees who attended a newly established multi-disciplinary refugee health program in a regional town in NSW, Australia. Data were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. RESULTS: Participants (n = 17) identified as Ezidi and were from Iraq. Parents were between 23 and 57 years of age and had 1-12 children per family. Most had been in Australia between 2 and 5 years. Four key themes were identified: (1) Identifying the extent of health needs following a long wait to migrate; (2) Health support across the life span: the benefit of access to a multi-disciplinary team; (3) Gaps in cultural competence - impacted by understanding and interpreter access; and (4) Ongoing health and lifestyle concerns - influenced by understanding and education. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the benefit of access to allied health for prompt diagnosis, treatment and management of conditions including congenital and developmental conditions, mental health and chronic diseases. Access to a dedicated team ensured early intervention for a broad range of health and social issues including early referral to services, close coordination and help to complete supporting paperwork and applications. Ongoing investments are needed to maintain this comprehensive and coordinated approach to care that is underpinned by a family centric approach.

Patients' Perceptions of Their Therapist: Effects of Race, Culture, and Cultural Competency on the Working Alliance.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which patients feel racially and culturally similar to their therapist, patients' perceptions of their therapist's cultural competence, and how these factors relate to the working alliance in a naturalistic treatment setting. METHODS: Participants were 119 adult patients treated at a large outpatient clinic by clinicians with a range of professional backgrounds (e.g., psychiatric residents, psychologists in training, and staff therapists). Patients were asked to rate the level of racial and cultural similarity between themselves and their therapist and to provide their assessment of their therapist's cultural competency and of the working alliance. RESULTS: Findings suggest that patients' ratings of perceived cultural and racial similarity were not significantly related to the working alliance. However, perceptions of racial and cultural similarity were significantly associated with perceived therapist cultural competence. Perceived cultural competence was also strongly related to the working alliance. Finally, patients' ratings of their therapist's cultural competencies in the areas of awareness and skill, but not knowledge, predicted a strong working alliance after analyses controlled for ratings of racial and cultural similarity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the importance of heightening mental health clinicians' awareness of the influence of culture on the therapeutic relationship and the important role of a therapist's cultural competencies (specifically, awareness and skill) in the working alliance, which may matter more to patients than perceptions of racial or cultural similarity.

Exploring the implicit meanings of 'cultural diversity': a critical conceptual analysis of commonly used approaches in medical education.

Existing approaches to cultural diversity in medical education may be implicitly based on different conceptualisations of culture. Research has demonstrated that such interpretations matter to practices and people concerned. We therefore sought to identify the different conceptualisations espoused by these approaches and investigated their implications for education. We critically reviewed 52 articles from eight top medical education journals and subjected these to a conceptual analysis. Via open coding, we looked for references to approaches, their objectives, implicit notions of culture, and to implementation practices. We iteratively developed themes from the collected findings. We identified several approaches to cultural diversity teaching that used four different ways to conceptualise cultural diversity: culture as 'fixed patient characteristic', as 'multiple fixed characteristics', as 'dynamic outcome impacting social interactions', and as 'power dynamics'. We discussed the assumptions underlying these different notions, and reflected upon limitations and implications for educational practice. The notion of 'cultural diversity' challenges learners' communication skills, touches upon inherent inequalities and impacts how the field constructs knowledge. This study adds insights into how inherent inequalities in biomedical knowledge construction are rooted in methodological, ontological, and epistemological principles. Although these insights carry laborious implications for educational implementation, educators can learn from first initiatives, such as: standardly include information on patients' multiple identities and lived experiences in case descriptions, stimulate more reflection on teachers' and students' own values and hierarchical position, acknowledge Western epistemological hegemony, explicitly include literature from diverse sources, and monitor diversity-integrated topics in the curriculum.

Exploring health inequalities in Gypsy and Traveller communities in the UK.

Health inequalities between groups of people are often unjust and avoidable and are influenced by social determinants of health, the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. Gypsy and Traveller communities experience significant health inequalities, including barriers to accessing healthcare services and suboptimal health outcomes compared with the general population. This article provides an overview of health inequalities in relation to Gypsy and Traveller communities and examines three social determinants of health - discrimination and racism, accommodation and access to healthcare - that influence these inequalities. The authors propose that accurate data collection as well as delivery of culturally competent health services and care may facilitate access to healthcare for Gypsy and Traveller communities and potentially reduce health inequalities.

Faculty Training on Navigating Gender and Sex in Medical Education.

Introduction: Language that assumes gender and sex are binary and aligned is pervasive in medicine and is often used when teaching on physiology and pathology. Information presented through this lens oversimplifies disease mechanisms and poorly addresses the health of gender and sexually diverse (GSD) individuals. We developed a training session to help faculty reference gender and sex in a manner that would be accurate and inclusive of GSD health. Methods: The 1-hour session for undergraduate and graduate medical educators highlighted cisgender and binary biases in medical teachings and introduced a getting-to-the-root mindset that prioritized teaching the processes underlying differences in disease profiles among gender and sex subpopulations. The training consisted of 30 minutes of didactic teaching and 20 minutes of small-group discussion. Medical education faculty attended and self-reported knowledge and awareness before and after the training. Results were compared using paired t tests. Expenses included fees for consultation and catering. Results: Forty faculty participated (pretraining survey n = 36, posttraining survey n = 21). After the training, there was a significant increase in self-reported awareness of the difference between gender and sex (p = .002), perceived relevance of gender to teachings (p = .04), and readiness to discuss physiological drivers of sex-linked disease (p = .005). Discussion: Participants reported increased understanding and consideration of gender and sex in medical education; feedback emphasized a desire for continued guidance. This easily adaptable session can provide an introduction to a series of medical teachings on gender and sex.

"To be culturally competent is to be willing to learn about the differences and to acknowledge them"- a qualitative study on Polish medical students' attitudes towards cross-cultural competence development.

BACKGROUND: Changes in Polish demographic data with a growing number of culturally and linguistically diverse patients stipulate new directions in medical education to prepare future physicians to work effectively across cultures. However, little is known about Polish medical students' willingness to gain cross-cultural knowledge and skills, desire to get engaged in interactions with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, expectations and needs concerning cross-cultural training as well as challenges they face in the path to cultural competence. METHODS: Therefore, in this study, we conducted and thematically analysed fifteen semi-structured interviews with medical students to broaden our understanding of medical students' perception of cross-cultural competence enhancement. RESULTS: The conducted thematic analysis allowed for the development of four themes, which showed that Polish medical students perceived skills and knowledge necessary to facilitate culturally congruent care as indispensable to form quality patient-doctor relations, believed that lack of cultural sensitivity may lead to dangerous stereotype formation and insufficient competence may be the source of stress and anxiety resulting in confusion and lack of confidence. Finally, numerous suggestions have been made by participants on how to improve their cross-cultural competence. Students emphasized, however, the role of medical education with active and experiential learning methods, including simulation-based training, in the process of equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide best quality care to culturally diverse patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicated that Polish medical students seem to hold positive attitudes towards cultural competence development and view it as an important component of physician professionalism.

Promoting Global Health Knowledge and Cultural Competence of Swedish and Somali Nursing Students Through Collaborative Virtual Seminars: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

INTRODUCTION: Engaging nursing students in transdisciplinary learning and collaborative activities will prepare them for future roles in promoting global health knowledge and cultural competence. The purpose of this study was to describe undergraduate nursing students' experiences of participating in collaborative virtual seminars intended to promote global health knowledge and increase cultural competence between a university in Sweden and a university in Somaliland. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions was conducted. Notably, 27 nursing students who participated in a collaborative virtual seminar were included. Data were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Nursing students reported having gained profound comprehension of and a broadened perspective on global health, cultural awareness, and curiosity crucial for their roles as future global nurses. DISCUSSION: Fostering global health knowledge and cultural competence among nursing students through collaborative virtual seminars is advantageous as it enhances their cultural competence in nursing.

Is cultural appropriateness culturally specific? Intersectional insights from a community-based participatory mental health intervention study conducted with diverse cultural groups.

Growing evidence supports the importance of culturally appropriate mental health interventions, yet it is not always feasible to develop culturally grounded interventions or adapt existing interventions for each cultural group. In addition, these approaches do not recognize the multiple intersecting aspects of culture and identity that individuals, families, and communities possess. Thus, an essential question is whether culturally appropriate mental health interventions have to be culturally specific. We address this question by examining processes of the Refugee Well-being Project (RWP), a community-based mental health intervention for refugees resettled in the United States, which included people from multiple cultural groups (Afghanistan, Great Lakes region of Africa, Iraq, and Syria) and was grounded in common experiences of forcibly displaced people from marginalized backgrounds. RWP incorporates a practice-based concept of culture, an intersectional view of identity, and a multilevel approach to address postmigration stressors. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 290 participants at preintervention, followed by interviews at three timepoints with a purposively selected subsample (n = 66). Additional interviews (n = 101) were conducted with refugee and student partners. Four themes demonstrated key principles for creating culturally appropriate interventions with diverse groups: (a) recognize cultural complexity in practice; (b) focus on how racism and discrimination are experienced in everyday life; (c) de-center dominant US culture; and (d) create an egalitarian, inclusive space to put principles into action. We conclude that mental health interventions implemented with multiple, diverse groups can be culturally appropriate and effective without being culturally specific.

Curriculum Indigenization in oral health professions' education worldwide: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the literature on Indigenous content within the oral health professions' education curricula. METHODS: This scoping review included all types of literature on oral health care educational programs on Indigenous content, following the JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute) methodology. An initial search using "Indigenous," "education," and "oral health" as keywords informed a full search strategy for MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, ERIC, EPPI, MedEdPORTAL, Google Scholar, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, Australian Government Department of Health, and Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet. The search included literature available until November 1, 2023, irrespective of language. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, and data were extracted and presented in tabular and narrative summary formats. RESULTS: A total of 948 records were identified, and 101 studies were chosen for full-text review. Twenty-three studies met the criteria for data extraction. Of all studies, 95.6% were published between 2007 and 2021, mostly from Australia and New Zealand. The most frequently covered content included Indigenous culture, followed by history, Indigenous oral health, and Indigenous Peoples' health. Rural and clinical placements were the most employed delivery methods, and evaluation surveys were the most employed assessment technique. Barriers to delivering an Indigenous curriculum included students' disinterest and limited interaction with Indigenous communities, while facilitators included cultural immersion and supportive mentorship. CONCLUSION: Despite progress in integrating Indigenous content into oral health education, challenges persist. Prioritizing Indigenous perspectives, community partnerships, and standardized assessment tools is needed. Future research should focus on long-term impacts and best practices for Indigenous curriculum development and delivery.

Benefits and Challenges of Addressing Cultural Intersectionality for Program Development and Evaluation.

Program development and evaluation that promote health equity are driven by community-based participatory research and led by people from select communities to adhere to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). This process is enriched when these communities represent intersections within DEIA, such as, for example, Korean American women with depression. Research shows that culture-specific adaptations of services are significantly more effective for these communities than is the standard of care for the broader population. However, cultural specificity decreases generalizability of findings and scalability of interventions. Decisions about intersectionality are affected by implications for science as well as real-world benefits for individuals participating in this process.

Interaction Processes between Health Professionals and Moroccan Immigrant Women in Reproductive Healthcare: The Disagreement in the Encounter-A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Spain is a multicultural society and has been defined by several authors as an immigrant-receiving country. Moroccan women of childbearing age constitute 28.20% of Moroccan immigrants. OBJECTIVES: describe the interaction processes that occur between health professionals and Moroccan immigrant women in reproductive healthcare. METHODS: Qualitative descriptive study based on Grounded Theory. Thirty immigrant women from Morocco and thirty-five health professionals participated in the study. Specific dimensions of analysis were defined and used to design the interview guide and focus groups. RESULTS: In the healthcare encounter, the construction of an effective communicative space between the people involved in it is essential; however, the language barrier and the interpersonal relationships characterized by silence in the encounter make a meaningful healthcare relationship difficult for those who participate in it. CONCLUSIONS: There are communication and relationship problems that alter healthcare and the professional-patient relationship which require the use of translation programs, the incorporation of intercultural meters, and the development of cultural competence in health professionals.

Intercultural competence development: A qualitative case study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students' perceptions of the effectiveness of a unique teaching-learning strategy using their results from the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), an instrument for the assessment of intercultural competence, with their customized Intercultural Development Plan (IDP) in enhancing their cultural competence development in a nursing senior practicum. The study also examined student insights about how having a plan to develop their intercultural competence will have an impact on their future nursing practice. BACKGROUND: Intercultural competence is vital for providing quality healthcare, yet there is a gap in understanding how educational interventions are designed and implemented to enhance cultural competence among nursing students. This paper describes a strategy for developing intercultural competence. The IDI was administered to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in the fourth semester of a five-semester BSN program. Based on their IDI results, each student received a customized IDP that suggested specific activities and encouraged guided self-reflection to enhance intercultural competence development. In the fifth-semester senior practicum course, the students developed personal intercultural competence development goals based on their IDP. They also kept weekly journals on their intercultural competence development during their practicum. DESIGN: This study used a Qualitative Case Study design. METHODS: This study was conducted from January to July 2021 with 47 senior practicum students in a large BSN program in the Southeastern United States. Data consisted of student written responses to prompts on how the IDI/IDP influenced their intercultural development and its potential effect on their future practice. The data were analyzed through inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Three key themes emerged: self-awareness, recognition of cultural influences and growth goals. Student reflections suggested that they desired to develop intercultural competence so they could provide the best possible nursing care for their patients. Still, most students did not have a plan for how to grow in this area. Many students reported that their IDI/IDP heightened cultural awareness throughout their practicum, guiding their development of intercultural competence and leading to a deeper and broader understanding of culture. Students suggested that this enhanced cultural understanding, along with their IDP, will facilitate their continued development of intercultural competence in their future professional practice. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to existing knowledge about intercultural competence development and effective teaching methods by providing empirical evidence of the positive impact of the IDI/IDP on nursing students' perceived intercultural development. These findings can inform the development and implementation of pedagogical strategies to enhance intercultural competence, which will ultimately improve patient care outcomes in all healthcare settings.

Nurses' Experiences in Communicating With Immigrant Populations During COVID-19: Insights and Suggestions for Future Health Crises.

INTRODUCTION: When providing health information in a diverse society and during health crises, it is crucial that nurses can adapt their communication to immigrants, as this may have an impact on their health outcomes. This study seeks to identify how nurses experienced and assessed their communication and information work with immigrants during COVID-19 and to discuss measures to improve practice. METHOD: The study has an interpretive and explorative qualitative design, analyzing 10 semi-structured interviews with nurses from the municipal health service in Norway. RESULTS: Three themes were created as follows: multilingual infection control teams and cooperation with volunteers, challenges when providing COVID-19 information, and the nurses' suggestions for improvements in the event of a new pandemic or other health crisis. DISCUSSION: Nurses' cultural competence and their knowledge of immigrants' health literacy can help them understand how immigrants think and behave during illness. It is important that nurses use discretion during health crises.

Culturally Diverse Female-Identified Students Discuss Sexual Assault Policies: Dialectics of Safety/Danger.

This article presents dialectical themes that emerged from the grounded theory analysis of 42 focus groups about university sexual assault policies held at four universities in Nova Scotia, Canada. Fourteen cultural communities were represented. Data from female-identified focus groups representing five cultures is deployed to exemplify dialectical themes. When it comes to university sexual assault policies and services, students navigate conflicting needs for disclosure and privacy, justice, and protection. These tensions are intersectionally shaped by gender and culture. Our analysis and recommendations can inform practitioners, including social workers, as they support survivors/victims, particularly of campus sexual violence, in navigating the complexities of decisions about seeking support and/or justice.

Fostering cultural resilience: assessing the success of a locally engaged and adapted mental health intervention in Gaza.

In ongoing-conflict-affected regions like Gaza, the prevalence of complex and intersecting post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSDs) necessitates innovative interventions. Our study explores a mental health care approach that has been culturally adapted for 15 years to address the complex landscape of PTSD in the Gaza Strip. Tarkiz was initially developed as 'Focusing', a metacognitive approach founded by Eugene Gendlin in 1950s Chicago. Tarkiz has been iteratively adapted and implemented for over a decade in Gaza by a team of local practitioners. The program's unique emphasis lies in its engagement approach, which relies on community participation and partnership building. The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore the perceived success of the program from the perspectives of the practitioners who adapted and delivered the program and the clients who participated in it. Data collection was driven by a multicultural research team, and prioritized capacity-building opportunities for Palestinian practitioners who lead on the development of research questions defining success. This exemplifies a successful science diplomacy model, emphasizing a collaborative approach, cultural sensitivity, and adaptable partnerships essential in global public health.

Power failure; an uncomfortable teaching initiative?

BACKGROUND: Introducing medical students to the concept of Cultural Humility, we devised a teaching initiative for students to consider how power manifests through the use of language in clinical communication, with a focus on General Practice. Cultural Humility is a pedagogical framework, introduced by Tervalon and Murray-Garcia, to address what they consider as the limitations of the Cultural Competence model. APPROACH: Our teaching initiative specifically focused on power in clinical communication, both oral consultations and written notes. The session was delivered to third-year medical students during their first 'clinical' year, where they regularly witness and are involved in clinical communication across primary and secondary care placements. Ethical approval was in place to analyse students' reflections on the session. EVALUATION: Students who attended engaged well. They evaluated the session positively as increasing their awareness of the power of clinical language in negatively stereotyping and dehumanising patients. They demonstrated Cultural Humility in their reflections of the unintentional harm of clinical language commonly used for the doctor-patient relationship. However, most striking for us, and where our learning as educators lies, was the low attendance at the session, despite our attempts to underline clinical relevance and importance for development as future doctors. IMPLICATIONS: This article offers a framework for educators interested in Cultural Humility. The implications of this initiative are how (or how not) to develop and deliver training in this space. More consideration is required as educators, including around our own language, as to how to engage students to think around the complex topic of power.

Navigating Accountable Conversations in Health Care: Balancing Power Dynamics.

Effective communication is crucial in health care and contributes to safe patient care and organizational excellence. Hierarchical differences can negatively affect communication among clinicians; however, recognizing and addressing power imbalances can improve patient safety. Individuals can feel empowered to express concerns and provide constructive feedback through clear communication with active listening. Perioperative nurses and leaders can use a variety of strategies to enhance accountable (or critical) conversations, such as structured communication models that guide participants through conversations and standardized procedures and tools to enhance the quality of team communication. This article provides an overview of accountable conversations, discusses the importance of structured communication models, and offers scenario-based examples using two structured models to enhance the reader's understanding. Finally, the article describes cultural competence and the leader's role in developing a culture of accountability.

Patient perceptions of nurses' cultural competence in public sector hospitals in Gauteng.

Background: Healthcare institutions are increasingly receiving patients from diverse cultural backgrounds because of migration, rapid urbanisation, and easier access to healthcare. Because the satisfaction of these patients is linked to their perceptions of appropriate cultural care, understanding patient perspectives about cultural competence is imperative. Additionally, patient perceptions about nurses' cultural competence are largely unexplored in South Africa. Aim: This study explored how the concept of cultural competence is perceived by patients. Setting: Three public sector hospitals in Gauteng, one from each of the three different levels of public sector hospitals - district (level one), regional (level two), and academic (tertiary, level three). Methods: This study derives from the qualitative phase of a larger sequential exploratory mixed methods study. The study population was patients in public sector hospitals. A total of 21 interviews were conducted after purposive stratified sampling was done. Data analysis followed Tesch's eight steps of data analysis. Results: Patients in public sector hospitals in Gauteng believe consideration of culture is important in nursing. They identified the cultural needs they would like nurses to acknowledge, such as being asked about their food preferences and mentioned the need to evaluate nurses' level of cultural competence. Conclusion: Patient perceptions about cultural competence and their cultural needs can assist nurses in gauging how culturally competent they are and improving care to patients. Contribution: Patients' perceptions revealed that nurses must be competent to acknowledge their specific cultural needs such as food, language preferences, and religious practices.