CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY

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CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE
SERVICE (C L A S) Emerging New Standard of Care
A Pathway to Successful Diversity Initiative A
Bridge to Crossing the Quality Chasm Keeping
Patients Safe
Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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C L A S

• CLAS standards - the collective set of culturally
  and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS)
  mandates, guidelines, and recommendations issued
  by the United States Department of Health and
  Human Services Office of Minority Health intended
  to inform, guide, and facilitate required and
  recommended practices related to culturally and
  linguistically appropriate health services
  (National Standards for Culturally and
  Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health
  Care Final Report, OMH, 2001).

http//www.omhrc.gov
Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Cultural Competence

• Developing an awareness of ones own existence,
  sensations, thoughts, and environment without
  letting it have an undue influence on those from
  other backgrounds
• Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the
  clients culture
• Accepting and respecting cultural differences
• Adapting care to be congruent with the clients
  culture.

• (Flowers,2004, p.49)

Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Cultural Linguistic Competence

• Cultural and linguistic competence
• Set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and
  policies that come together in a system, agency,
  or among professionals that enables effective
  work in cross-cultural situations.
• Culture
• Integrated patterns of human behavior that
  include the language, thoughts, communications,
  actions, customs, beliefs, values, and
  institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or
  social groups.
• Competence
• Having the capacity to function effectively
  as an individual and an organization within the
  context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors, and
  needs presented by consumers and their
  communities.
• Importance
• Respectful of and responsive to the health
  beliefs and practices, and cultural and
  linguistic needs of diverse patient populations.

http//www.omhrc.gov
Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Case Highlights Hispanic Doctor

• Cultural Fact
• Within 50 years, nearly half of the nations
  population will be from cultures other than
  White, non-Hispanic, increasing needs to provide
  medical services to patients of diverse cultures
  or languages.

• She is dismayed to
• overhear a staff member
• say, There should be a
• Law that everyone
• Speaks English in this
• country!
• How should she handle the situation?

Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Cultural Competence Impact to Clinical Outcomes

• Patients may choose not to access needed services
• --for fear of being misunderstood or
  disrespected.
• Providers may miss opportunities for screening
• --because they are not familiar with the
  prevalence of conditions among certain minority
  groups.
• Providers may fail to take into account
• --differing responses to medication.
• Providers may make diagnostic errors
• --resulting from miscommunication.

Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Cultural Competence Impact to Clinical Outcomes

• Patients may not adhere to medical advice
• --they do not understand or do not trust the
  provider
• Providers may lack the knowledge
• --about traditional remedies, leading to harmful
  drug interactions.
• Providers may order fewer diagnostic tests for
  patients of different cultural background (or
  vice versa)
• --they many not understand or believe the
  patients description of symptoms.

Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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CLAS

• The increasing population growth of racial and
  ethnic communities and linguistic groups, each
  with its own cultural traits and health profiles,
  presents a challenge to the health care delivery
  service industry in this country.
• The provider and the patient each bring their
  individual learned patterns of language and
  culture to the health care experience which must
  be transcended to achieve equal access and
  quality health care.

• http//www.thinkculturalhealth.org/whats_new.asp

Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN
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Think Cultural Health Bridging the Health Care
Gap Through Cultural Competency Continuing
Education Program
Faye Sabado RN, MSN CCRN