The effectiveness of cultural-competence training for health professionals in community-based rehabilitation: a systematic review of literature.
OBJECTIVE
To find and review studies in which investigators evaluated cultural-competence training in community-based rehabilitation settings; critique study methods, describe clinical outcomes, and make recommendations for future research.


BACKGROUND
A review of the effectiveness of cultural-competence training for health professionals in community-based rehabilitation settings was conducted.


METHODS
Research citations from 1991-2006 in CINAHL, Medline, Pubmed, PsycInfo, SABINET, Cochrane, Google, NEXUS, and unpublished abstracts were searched.


METHODS
Searching, sifting, abstracting, and assessing quality of relevant studies by three reviewers. Studies were evaluated for sample, design, intervention, threats to validity, and outcomes. A meta-analysis was not conducted because the studies did not address the same research question.


RESULTS
Five studies and one systematic review were evaluated. Positive outcomes were reported for most training programs. Reviewed studies generally had small samples and poor design.


CONCLUSIONS
The paucity of studies and lack of empirical precision in evaluating effectiveness necessitate future studies that are methodologically rigorous to allow confident recommendations for practice.
School of Nursing, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. chipps@ukzn.ac.za
Jennifer Anne
JA
Chipps
Barbara
B
Simpson
Petra
P
Brysiewicz
D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000145:classification / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing / Q000193:education*