Discuss Language Barriers and Cultural Competence relation
Language is an aspect of culture that affects the quality of treatment in African immigrant groups (Seck, 2015). Language barriers play an important role in miscommunication between patients and medical providers, which negatively affects the quality of healthcare services and patient satisfaction regarding the African immigrant group (Allison et al., 2016). Due to language barriers, health care professionals have an incomplete understanding of the situations of patients, poorly assess patients, prescribe treatment incompletely, or cause delayed treatment or misdiagnoses (Wamwayi & Murray, 2019). As a result of language barrier, African immigrants end up having decreased satisfaction with healthcare services, complications arising from medication, and a reduced level of understanding of their diagnosis even if they have access to health care (Venters et al., 2019). Discuss Language Barriers and Cultural Competence relation
All these elements lead to the reduction in the quality of healthcare experience of African immigrants. One way of overcoming the language barrier is through using technology to bridge the language gap between healthcare professionals and African immigrants (Venters et al., 2019). Health care professionals can make use of voice recognition technologies such as Google Assistant and Google Translate. These are technologies that allow for two-way interpretation and can help in transcribing and translating dictations such as a doctor’s instructions (Wamwayi & Murray, 2019). Another effective way of overcoming the language barrier is the use of online applications, such as Duolingo, which offer new ways of learning different languages. Health care professionals can use these applications which keep things simple and make learning streamlined and easier, to understand elements of the African immigrants’ language and enhance their communication (Wamwayi & Murray, 2019).
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Another way of overcoming the language barrier is through the use of an interpreter. The medical facilities can have interpreters specifically for African immigrant groups to enhance communication (Venters et al., 2019). The interpreter can be available physically at the medical facility and if this is not possible, technology has made it easier for the use of an interpreter using virtual platforms such as zoom, Google meet, or Skype (Allison et al., 2016). All these techniques and technologies will help in breaking the language barrier and enhancing effective communication between African immigrants and healthcare professionals. In the long run, the quality of health care services in African immigrants will improve, hence enhancing their overall health care experience and satisfaction.
The Impact of Cultural Competence Training On Health Care Workers
Training programs and cultural competence among health care workers have social, health, and business benefits for healthcare organizations and African immigrants (Omenka et al., 2020). Cultural competence training programs would increase mutual respect and understanding between African immigrants and health care providers (Kamya, 2017). It would also ensure the inclusion of all community members and increased participation and involvement of African immigrants in health issues (Kamya, 2017). Being culturally competent would also enable health care workers to have improved patient data collection for African immigrants and reduce the health care disparities in the African immigrant population (Asare & Sharma, 2012).
Cultural competence training programs for health care workers would help in reducing medical errors, the number of treatments, and legal costs, which increase cost savings (Asare & Sharma, 2012). When healthcare workers undergo cultural competence training programs, they will incorporate diverse ideas, perspectives, and strategies when deciding about African immigrants. Barriers that slow the progress of the healthcare experience of African immigrants would also be decreased and the efficiency of these care services will be improved (Omenka et al., 2020). Cultural competence training would also help health care providers to reduce the literacy gap when handling African immigrants (Omenka et al., 2020).
Most African immigrants come from backgrounds of little or no education which makes it hard for them to gain literacy skills to overcome language barriers or to read and understand instructions and conversations with health care professionals (Omenka et al., 2020). Cultural competence training would provide health care professionals with techniques of dealing with African immigrants with low literacy and explain how to offer them the best care quality. Cultural competence training will also enable health care professionals to coordinate with traditional healers among African immigrants and incorporate culture-specific attitudes and values into health promotion activities for this group (Kamya, 2017).
National Guidelines
Various national guidelines provide standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in healthcare. These guidelines aim at making health care services more responsive to the individual needs of patients coming from various cultural backgrounds (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). These guidelines include ensuring the provision of health care services in a manner that is compatible with patient cultural health beliefs, practices, and preferred language (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Health organizations are required to establish strategies of recruiting, keeping, and promoting organizational staff and leadership that represent demographic characteristics of the area of service (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Discuss Language Barriers and Cultural Competence relation
Health care organizations ensure that staff at all levels undergo education and training for culturally and linguistically appropriate delivery of service. Language help services inclusive of bilingual staff and interpreter services at no cost to the patients with limited English proficiency must be offered by health care organizations (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Patients should be informed of the right to receive language help services for their preferred languages. Easy-to-understand materials relating to patients should be made available by healthcare organizations and the development, implementation, and promotion of a written strategic plan outlining clear goals and policies for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services must be in place (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Internal audits, patient satisfaction assessments, and outcome-based evaluations should be done on integrating culturally and linguistically related measures about the organizations’ conduct. Health records should have slots for collecting the patient’s race, ethnicity, and language, and this should be integrated into the management information system of the organization management (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002).
An updated demographic cultural profile of the community should be maintained by the organization and collaborative, participatory partnerships with communities should be developed by the health care organizations regarding the designing and implementation of cultural and linguistic related activities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). Conflict and grievances resolution processes should be culturally and linguistically sensitive, also cross-cultural conflicts and complaints should be resolved appropriately by health care organizations (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002). Health organizations should make available to the public information about progress and successful innovations in implementing the culturally and linguistically appropriate services standards (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Discuss Language Barriers and Cultural Competence relation
