Measuring the Impact of a Cultural Competency Training Program in a Healthcare Facility

摘要

Access to care and quality of care differs among diverse groups within the U.S. leading to healthcare disparities. By the middle of the 21st century, less than 50% of the U.S. population will consist of non-Hispanic whites. As a result, there is a dire need for the U.S. healthcare system to integrate strategic diversity management strategies and cultural competency training best practices to deliver patient-centric care while striving to eradicate healthcare disparities. The literature has yet to solidify linkages between best practices in diversity leadership and cultural effectiveness training with critical organizational and patient outcomes. Doing so is beneficial as healthcare disparities are an increasingly costly expense to the nation's budget. The focus of this study was to investigate the effect of a multi-faceted cultural competency-training program on employee diversity perceptions, gain information on the status of cultural competency within a specific hospital, and look at perceived outcomes of systematic organizational training. The data sets consisted of both qualitative and quantitative data. The quantitative aspect of the data set encompassed a survey inquiring into the diversity perceptions of hospital employees administered pre- and post-cultural competency training to measure impact. The qualitative aspect of the data set utilized pre- and post-cultural competency training interviews.