Services and Programs to Improve Cultural Competency

Programs and services that are tailored or adapted to meet the specific needs of particular cultural or ethnic groups are a crucial component of integrated culturally competent healthcare systems. There are many different approaches which can be taken to ensure that healthcare programs and services are more appropriate for populations who do not have their healthcare needs adequately met by mainstream services. In this chapter, we explore the various strategies which have been used in the reviewed literature to increase the cultural appropriateness of healthcare programs and services. Examples of different community-, culture- and language-oriented strategies are provided. The outcomes across evaluations, including those related to healthcare and health outcomes, are discussed along with study quality and measurement issues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Indigenous Health Equity Research, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia Crystal Jongen, Janya McCalman & Roxanne Bainbridge
  2. The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia Janya McCalman & Roxanne Bainbridge
  3. School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Anton Clifford
  1. Crystal Jongen