Guidry JJ, Decuir A; Association for Health Services Research. Meeting.

Abstr Book Assoc Health Serv Res Meet. 1997; 14: 65.

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-42434, USA.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE(S): To review current literature on cultural sensitivity and develop a cultural sensitivity training module for health providers and educators working among African-American audiences. STUDY DESIGN: Literature on cultural sensitivity and cross cultural training was reviewed for relevance to contemporary African-American audiences. Two focus groups and an advisory committee comprised of lay and professional health care educators and workers were utilized to identify health attitudes, beliefs, and practices of African-Americans, as well as concerns, opinions, and motivations as they related to utilization of and access to health care services. Barriers that were identified in the literature review, focus groups and the advisory committee were combined into a single set of key cultural sensitivity concepts from which the training module was developed. In addition, the training module will be pilot-tested in mid-April as part of the lead author's National Community Care Network Fellowship which was sponsored by the American Hospital Association. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Less than 40 books and articles offered guidelines for cultural sensitivity, and less than half of these specifically addressed African-American audiences. Most of this research offered some strategies for increasing cultural sensitivity; however, none offered a comprehensive set of guidelines. The literature review, focus groups, and advisory committee identified key areas specifically related to culture which were included in the training module: nature of the illness and treatment, role of the family, religion, diet, language, socioeconomic status, and social isolation. More specifically, the training module directly addresses cross-cultural training targeting African Americans. CONCLUSIONS: There is a limited amount of materials which offer strategies for effectively communicating with African Americans. The training module helps to fill this void in current research especially aimed at increasing cultural competence of health providers working with African-American patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE AND POLICY: Diverse perspectives must be known by health care workers in order to increase access to health care for African Americans. Ensuring that health providers are sensitive to African-American patients' cultural values and beliefs about health and illness can help reduce length of stay, morbidity, and number of hospitalizations, as well as increase confidence among African Americans in the health care system.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• African Americans
• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Attitude to Health
• Communication
• Culture
• Focus Groups
• Health Personnel
• Humans
• Nursing Methodology Research
• Research
• education
• ethnology
• hsrmtgs

Other ID:

• HTX/98604906

UI: 102233505

From Meeting Abstracts