Broadening Cultural Sensitivity at the End of Life

Abstract

This 2-stage educational program did not significantly advance the team along the intercultural development continuum, nor did it significantly change knowledge and attitudes, likely due to the small sample and that maturity in cultural competence, evolves over a longer period of time. Educational programs that incorporate critical reflection sessions that promote interprofessional dialogue and learning, however, are promising practices for advancing cultural competence that are worthy of more rigorous study.

Cultural and Religious Diversity in Hospice and Palliative Care: A Qualitative Cross-Country Comparative Analysis of the Challenges of Health-Care Professionals

“…This also indicates that training is essential to build basic cultural competences across services. Studies have also shown that a knowledge approach is not sufficient and that a practice dimension should support this for the participants to be able to apply this knowledge reflexively (Diver, Molassiotis, & Weeks, 2003; Ekblad, Marttila, & Emilsson, 2000; Halm et al., 2012).…”

“…The former refers to the enhancement of skills and abilities to better engage with different cultures (Sue & Sue, 2012), while the latter suggests the need for developing an appropriate language and understanding of the multitude of faiths in society in order to nurture positive professional practice (Dinham & Francis, 2015). Research literature shows that palliative-care services across western countries are working to improve the access for patients with diverse ethnic backgrounds in their region (Bellamy & Gott, 2013; K. Clark & Philips, 2010; Halm, Evans, Wittenberg, & Wilgus, 2012; Jones, 2005), and developing cultural competences and religious literacy is a means to achieve this end. The effectiveness of many of these approaches and the impact that palliative care has on the diverse identities of patients and relatives are yet to be assessed.…”

“…Research literature shows that palliative-care services across western countries are working to improve the access for patients with diverse ethnic backgrounds in their region (Bellamy & Gott, 2013;K. Clark & Philips, 2010;Halm, Evans, Wittenberg, & Wilgus, 2012;Jones, 2005), and developing cultural competences and religious literacy is a means to achieve this end. The effectiveness of many of these approaches and the impact that palliative care has on the diverse identities of patients and relatives are yet to be assessed.…”

A knowledge synthesis of culturally- and spiritually-sensitive end-of-life care: findings from a scoping review

“…Curriculums that integrate spirituality and culture with PC were noted as essential for improving the quality of care in Westernized health systems for multicultural and multi-religious communities [ 92 , 94 , 98 ]. Interprofessional educational programs that incorporated critical reflection sessions facilitated interprofessional dialogue and subsequently encouraged understandings of diverse needs [ 93 ]. Online [ 100 – 102 ]/multimedia features [ 103 , 104 ], interactive dialogue [ 93 , 105 ], self-reflection [ 93 , 106 , 107 ] and story-telling [ 108 , 109 ] appear to be promising components for curriculums to improve cultural awareness and sensitivity and may be transferrable to other educational and healthcare settings.…”

Considering the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to Assess Intercultural Competence at U.S. Pharmacy Schools

“…However, individual results on the IDI can be different from group results. Halm and colleagues noted for some individuals, when their pre- and post-intervention group orientation was Acceptance, their individual developmental orientation was Minimization [ 12 ]. As a self-reported measure, the IDI relies on individuals’ own perceptions of their intercultural experiences, which may not be an accurate reflection.…”