Healthcare provider cultural competency: development and initial validation of a patient report measure.
OBJECTIVE
Health researchers have proposed that provider cultural competency may contribute to health disparities. Yet, this belief continues to lack empirical support, and this is due in part to measurement issues that have plagued the cultural competency construct. In the present research, we report on the development of a theoretically grounded, generally applicable, and patient report measure of provider cultural competency.


METHODS
Samples of predominantly African American patients (N=310) were recruited from three urban medical clinics to complete a survey about their relationship with their physician.


METHODS
We examined the factor structure, validity and other psychometric characteristics of a newly proposed patient report measure of provider cultural competency.


RESULTS
Psychometric analyses supported a tripartite model of cultural competency that was comprised of patient judgments of their physician's cultural knowledge, awareness, and skill. In addition, this result was replicated across multiple clinical contexts, while also demonstrating convergent and incremental validity when correlated with measures of trust, satisfaction and discrimination.


CONCLUSIONS
This newly proposed measure addresses prior limitations in cultural competency measurement and may enhance future research by providing a standardized tool for use in multiple clinical and cultural contexts.
Lucas
Todd
T
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Institute of Mental Health, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Michalopoulou
Georgia
G
Falzarano
Pamela
P
Menon
Shanti
S
Cunningham
Windy
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D003142:Communication; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000208:ethnology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011204:Poverty Areas; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D001741:Black or African American