Bridging Cultures:
Delivering Culturally Appropriate Care
Five Objectives:
• Define cultural competence in health
care
• Identify elements of culture
• Describe reasons why cultural
competence is important in health care
• Describe three key stages to
developing cultural competence
• Describe the protocol for accessing
interpretation services
What is Culture?
• Culture is the beliefs, ideals, and norms
of a particular group expressed in
language, dress, behavior and symbols
Cultural Competence is:
• Recognition of cultural beliefs,
attitudes, language preferences and
practices of diverse populations
• Application of knowledge and
understanding at the individual and
organizational levels to produce
positive health outcomes
Cultural competence
begins with awareness
Elements of culture that can be seen or
heard include:
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Dress
Language
Body posture
Physical appearance
Age
Gender
Physical abilities
Other aspects of culture
are not as obvious:
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Religion
Beliefs
Ethics
Customs
Diet needs and preferences
Family structure
Sexual identity
Why is Cultural Competence
important?
The face of the Lehigh Valley
is changing
Why must the hospital provide
culturally competent care?
• It is the right thing to do!
• It is required by regulatory and accrediting
agencies:
– JCAHO
– Office of Minority Health
– U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• CLAS standards (Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Services) out of Office of Minority Health,
from the US Dept of Health & Human (Title 6) CLAS
Standard Themes
Why is Cultural Competence Important?
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Reduces disparities in health care
Provides quality care
Increases positive patient outcomes
Improves patient satisfaction
Necessary for patient safety
Decreases the likelihood of
liability/malpractice claims
LVHHN’s commitment to
cultural competence :
• Supports a workforce that reflects diversity
in culture, race, ethnicity and gender
• Orients all employees on sensitivity to other
cultures
• Addresses cultural sensitivity in the annual
performance evaluation
• Offers tools and resources to assist staff in
communicating with patients in other
languages
Key Stages to Developing
Cultural Competence
1. Develop an awareness
2. Show respect
3. Begin making changes
Cultural competence in health care is
important because it recognizes and
values the diversity of the patients we
serve; it applies knowledge and
understanding of differences to produce
positive health outcomes
Review
Cultural competence in health care is:
• Required by regulations.
– It also facilitates safe, quality care; improves
outcomes and patient satisfaction; and it is
the right thing to do.
First Key Stage
– Develop an awareness and understand
your own:
– Attitudes and behaviors
– Reactions to others whom you perceive as
“different”
– Personal and cultural viewpoints and
influences
Second Key Stage
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Show respect
Do NOT use family members as interpreters
Maintain privacy and confidentiality
Identify health beliefs for each patient
Treat each patient as an individual
Show respect even when you do not understand
Avoid judging
Avoid stereotyping
Third Key Stage
– Begin making changes
– Get to know your patient
– Patients may not see the world as you do
– See patients as members of a family
– Accommodate cultural preferences
whenever possible
Cross – Cultural Communication
Cultural Competence teaches us how to
bridge differences in cultures . . .
Spoken language is just one of the
ways we can do this.
• We communicate how we feel and what
we need through words, actions, and emotions
• Even when two people speak the same
language, different values and beliefs can affect
understanding
• Trained Medical Interpreters can help bridge
communication when people do not speak the
same language
Where can I find information on
Cultural Differences and
Interpretation Services at
Lehigh Valley Hospital?
Cultural Differences
• Resources:
• Cultural Clues ™
• Designed to increase awareness about
concepts and preferences of patients from
diverse cultures
• The link to these documents is found on the
LVH Intranet home page under “Employee
Resources” (upper left column)
• Search the Internet
Interpretation Services
1. Assess Patient Need: Utilize
Screening Instrument for patient’s
language preference (multiple
language assessment tool… patient
points to appropriate language)
(Screening instrument on next page)
Interpretation Services
(continued)
2. Access the Language Line (1-800-892-5062)
for linguistic assistance in over 127
languages.
3. For Sign Language assistance: Access the
Interpreters_List Bulletin Board for
contracted agencies and individual
contractors who are available 24/7. It is the
responsibility of the unit to arrange for these
services for the patient.
Interpreters / Communication
Assistance
Cedar Crest Site
Any other language other
than Spanish call *Language
Line @ 1800-892-5062
7pm-7am or weekends
All languages including
Spanish call *Language
Line 1800-892-5062
Spanish Interpreter Needed
Coverage from 7am-7pm
Monday-Friday
Call 610-402-8221 or
Page ID# 1173 for
triage
Triage will send Full-time Trained
Medical Interpreter/ If one is not available
then triage will send a cross trained
interpreter
Use cross
trained staff
interpreter within
cost center
Call *Language Line for all
languages other than
Spanish @ 1800-892-5062
Muhlenberg
Site
Any other language other
than Spanish call *Language
Line @ 1800-892-5062
*Language Line 1-800-892-5062
6 digit account # 207009
State your cost center #
And language needed
Spanish Interpreter Needed
Coverage from 7am-7pm
Monday- Friday
Call 610-402-5100
Page ID#6767
& Enter you call back #
7pm-7am or weekends
All languages including Spanish
call *Language Line 1800-8925062
Use trained staff
interpreter within
cost center