A prescription for cultural competence in medical education.
Cultural competence programs have proliferated in U.S. medical schools in response to increasing national diversity, as well as mandates from accrediting bodies. Although such training programs share common goals of improving physician-patient communication and reducing health disparities, they often differ in their content, emphasis, setting, and duration. Moreover, training in cross-cultural medicine may be absent from students' clinical rotations, when it might be most relevant and memorable. In this article, the authors recommend a number of elements to strengthen cultural competency education in medical schools. This "prescription for cultural competence" is intended to promote an active and integrated approach to multicultural issues throughout medical school training.
Kripalani
Sunil
S
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. skripal@emory.edu
Bussey-Jones
Jada
J
Katz
Marra G
MG
Genao
Inginia
I
D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000639:trends; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends