The Impact of Cultural Competence on Clinical Outcomes
Cultural competence can have a real impact on clinical outcomes. Ignoring culture can lead to negative health consequences in many ways:
- Patients may choose not to access needed services for fear of being misunderstood or disrespected;
- Providers may miss opportunities for screening because they are not familiar with the prevalence of conditions among certain minority groups (Lavizzo-Mourey and Mackenzie 1996; Lawson 1996; Moffic and Kinzie 1996);
- Providers may fail to take into account differing responses to medication (Lavizzo-Mourey and Mackenzie 1996; Lawson 1996; Moffic and Kinzie 1996);
- Providers may lack knowledge about traditional remedies, leading to harmful drug interactions (Lavizzo-Mourey and Mackenzie 1996; Lawson 1996; Moffic and Kinzie 1996);
- Providers may make diagnostic errors resulting from miscommunication (Lavizzo-Mourey and Mackenzie 1996; Lawson 1996; Moffic and Kinzie 1996);
- Patients may not adhere to medical advice because they do not understand or do not trust the provider;
- Providers may order fewer diagnostic tests for patients of different cultural backgrounds because they may not understand or believe the patient’s description of symptoms. Alternatively, providers may order more diagnostic tests to compensate for not understanding what their patients are saying.
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