Cultural Safety in Healthcare

Running head: CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE
CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE
Part One
Goals
To evaluate and improve my existing levels of knowledge and awareness on
cultural competency, in order to enhance personal as well as organizational capabilities
of delivering culturally safe practices to the ethnically diverse patients attending in my
healthcare professional environment.
Objectives
1. To enlighten and educate oneself on existing culturally diverse and indigenous
populations residing in the locality as well as visiting the healthcare organization.
2. To improve one’s knowledge on strategies of cultural competency.
3. To improve one’s knowledge on existing culturally competent services and
unique needs of ethnically diverse people.
4. To enhance my knowledge on services available for patients who are deaf.
Resources/Additional Training
1. To educate oneself on the presence of cultural diverse and indigenous
populations as well as identify the diverse ethnic groups residing in community as
well as national levels, by conducting evidence based research and
exploration of local governmental and census based reports (Almutairi,
McCarthy & Gardner, 2015).
2. To educate oneself on the ethnically diverse and indigenous groups visiting the
healthcare organization by evaluating organizational as well as patient
records (Eisenberg, 2018).
3. To improve one’s knowledge on strategies of cultural competency by
undertaking online cultural training courses (Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Cultural Competency Training) implemented by the Center for
Cultural Competence Australia (Center for Cultural Competence Australia,
2019).
4. To improve one’s knowledge on existing culturally competent services and
unique cultural, spiritual and religious healthcare needs of ethnically diverse

2CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE
people by conducting evidence based research comprising of evaluation of
peer reviewed, scholarly literature and resources published by Department
of Health (Department of Health, 2019).
5. To improve one’s knowledge services and strategies aimed at meeting the needs
of deaf people by contacting deaf NT and undertaking Auslan classes.
Anticipated Barriers/Strategies
1. Knowledge deficit: The staff in the healthcare organization may not be aware of
the importance of cultural competence and the unique experiences and needs
underlying ethnically diverse and deaf people. Hence, strategies of an
educational program or workshop will be undertaken to enlighten organization
staff on cultural competence (Betancourt et al., 2016).
2. Ineffective language and communication skill: Due to English being the
primary language the emergence of language and communication barriers is not
surprising. Hence, an implementation of a basic culturally competent
communication skills course will be useful in enlightening the staff on
communication and language strategies (Utley-Smith, 2017).
3. Time and Financial Constraints: Staff may perceive cultural competence
training as a hindrance to time and resources. Hence, organizational data on
client demographics, feedback received and estimated process as well as
outcome evaluation reports will be presented to highlight the need and positive
consequences of adopting cultural competence (Robinson et al., 2016).
Evaluation Method
1. Success of goal achievement will be monitored by obtaining feedback from
culturally diverse clients (Gallagher & Polanin, 2015).
2. It is estimated that usage of cultural competence will undergo positive reception
from clients while mixed responses may be received from staff considering the
perceived barriers underlying program implementation (Repo et al., 2017).
3. The program implementation will result in changes like in positive staff-client
relationships, customer satisfaction, and increased achievement of positive
patient health outcomes and enhanced patient flow (Alheiji et al., 2016).

3CULTURAL SAFETY IN HEALTHCARE
Part Two: Rationale
Need
Patients belonging to ethnically and culturally diverse family background are in
possession of unique religious, spiritual and health needs which they expect to be
incorporated in their care plan. (Chen et al., 2016). Lack of understanding and
consideration of such culturally sensitive issues, especially in healthcare organizations,
results in perceptions of insecurity and mistrust among such groups further discouraging
their engagement in health services and contributing to societal health inequities (Chiu
& Shi, 2019). Hence, adoption of cultural competence in healthcare, as researched by
Thackrah and Thompson (2013), will result in increased levels of patient satisfaction
and health outcomes among diverse ethnic groups, enhanced healthcare accessibility
and reduced disparities in healthcare. Hence estimated improvements in patient
satisfaction in particular and reductions in societal health inequities form the underlying
need for implementation of cultural competence in the concerned healthcare
organization (Garneau & Pepin, 2015). Similarly, deaf individuals, due to their special
impairments, deaf people possess unique communication needs and must be
encouraged to feel empowered and achieve positive health outcomes through healthy
therapeutic relationships (Kuenburg, Fellinger & Fellinger, 2016).
Implementation
1. The first strategy will include obtaining patient demographics and records of
culturally diverse populations residing in the community. Educating oneself on
diversity of individuals visiting the organization as well as residing in the
community will form the underlying rationale for this strategy (Almutairi, McCarthy
& Gardner, 2015).
2. The second strategy will involve educating oneself on the unique needs, histories
and religious, spiritual and healthcare practices of individuals belonging to
culturally diverse populations. Personal and professional practice improvement
during future engagement with culturally diverse patients will form the rationale
for the same (Sorensen et al., 2017).