title: Development of a Cultural Awareness Scale for Occupational Therapy Students in Latin America: A Qualitative Delphi Study.
abstract: Cultural awareness is a key issue in healthcare worldwide. Valid and reliable assessments are needed to assess cultural awareness for occupational therapy students. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to assess cultural awareness for Latin American occupational therapy students. A Delphi design was implemented considering four rounds with experts from four countries. A 30-item scale in Spanish was developed to assess three categories of items: personal, therapeutic strategies and persons' cultures. The experts highlighted local features for professional practice as a key aspect of the scale. Local differences in practice were considered with the profession's traditions and prevailing knowledge across the scale. A participatory strategy and an international group of experts enriched the cultural relevance. A subsequent study of statistical reliability is required (the scale is not presented in an extended version here). Further research should consider the application of the scale and strategies to improve cultural awareness across the curricula. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation/Occupational Therapy, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation/Occupational Therapy, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.|Centre of Aging and Health-AGECAP, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Synneve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dahlin-Ivanoff
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Health and Rehabilitation/Occupational Therapy, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mårtensson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000193:education*; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003479:Curriculum; D003697:Delphi Technique; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000193:education*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Latin America; cultural competency; occupational therapy education