CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE

To foster the ongoing development of cultural humility and competency within the pharmacy workforce and promote a whole-person-health approach to care; further,

To educate the pharmacy workforce on how to interact with patients, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals in a manner that demonstrates respect for and responsiveness to all; further,

To educate healthcare providers on the importance of providing culturally congruent and trauma-informed care to achieve quality care and patient engagement.

Rationale

Culture influences a patient’s belief and behavior toward health and illness. Healthcare workers who demonstrate cultural humility and competence can improve clinical outcomes. Cultural humility is having an awareness of how a person’s culture can impact health behaviors and then using this knowledge to approach the patient’s treatment.  Research has shown that overlooking cultural beliefs may lead to negative health consequences. Cultural competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. According to the National Center for Cultural Competency, there are numerous examples of benefits derived from cultural competence on quality and effectiveness of care in relation to health outcomes and well-being. Further, pharmacists can contribute to providing “culturally congruent care,” which can be described as “a process of effective interaction between the provider and patient,” by recognizing that "[p]atients and families bring their own values, perceptions, and expectations to healthcare encounters.”  

Whole person health includes consideration of how biological, behavioral, environmental, and social factors impact a patient’s health outcomes. When considering holistic approaches to patient care, clinicians should recognize and respond effectively to all personal and social identities.  Spiritually congruent care may be expressed in prayer requests, in clinician-chaplain collaborations, and through health care organizations’ religious accommodations for patients and staff. Numerous publications have outlined the role of spirituality in overall health, longevity, and quality of life, especially for patients with severe illness. The pharmacy workforce should be educated on the importance of individual patient spirituality and its impact on health and on ways to facilitate patient access to spiritual care services. 

Trauma is a widespread public health issue that can stem from various sources, including abuse, neglect, poverty, and other emotionally harmful experiences. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an essential healthcare approach that recognizes and responds to the impact of trauma on patients' physical and mental health. Increasing evidence shows that implementing TIC can improve patient outcomes, including engagement, satisfaction, and adherence, while addressing complex patient needs. For pharmacy professionals, integrating TIC is crucial to providing tailored care. Additionally, TIC can help healthcare workers, who face higher risks of trauma post-pandemic, recognize signs and symptoms of trauma thereby reducing burnout and turnover. Training healthcare providers to understand the effects of trauma at both the clinical and organizational levels is vital for improving patient care and outcomes.