Article | Argue in SUPPORT of the Statement:

Not All Public Health Programs and Efforts Have to be Culturally Competent

By Eddlynn Jennifer Mangaoang

Written on June 30, 2021

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Cultural competency in public health (medical, dental, optical, etc.) means that any healthcare professionals can diagnose (plan, treat, help) a patient appropriately by knowing and understanding the culture of the patient resulting in a better patient experience and an increase in trust (1).

An example scenario is this: a bilingual or language-limited patient usually cannot express himself or herself to his or her healthcare provider because he or she feels that the provider will not understand him or her. So, the provider should make sure that the patient gets a professional translator ahead of time by asking if they need one (2). Do not assume; ask. 

Culture is a complex concept that makes us who we are including our behaviors, customs, beliefs, values, thoughts, communications, and institutions, that are learned and continues to evolve over time (3). Culture is not limited to traditions.

For a while now, in the courses I am taking (took) in my Public Health major, cultural competency is a huge, important concept. Those who are in healthcare must be culturally competent. So, when I was given this in a quiz/assignment for my Cultural Competency class: Argue in support of the statement: Not all public health programs and efforts have to be culturally competent, I was troubled, to say the least. I did not know how to answer it. But then, a bulb lighted up inside my brain, and I remembered a lecture from a Winter Intersession course HSCI 2200: Introduction to Public Health. My professor for that class mentioned policies and laws are part of Public Health.

This was my answer:

Not all public health programs and efforts have to be culturally competent. Public health programs and efforts that do not need cultural competency include road safety. The reason for regulated traffic signs and traffic lights, for example, is to make sure that everyone complies with the law and reduce accidents, car crashes, injuries, and deaths of anyone - and that does not have anything to do with culture. I agree that statistically one age is more of a reckless driver than the other, but the regulations or laws itself cover everyone and does not pick any culture. I believe that being a culturally competent health professional is better than not, but there will always be circumstances wherein one cannot be, that is why it will always be a healthcare professional's job to learn (4).

Let's pick apart my answer. The first line is re-stating the argument. The second line is my support. I chose road safety because I remember my professor mentioning seatbelts and road signs during the lecture. I expanded the support with more details, and hopefully, everyone can see why culture is not necessarily part of the policy or law decision-making. But one can also argue that there's a culture of riding without seatbelts or at the back of an open-back truck, but even then, it's a law for everyone, not just one or two cultures. Then, for the conclusion, I want to reiterate that it's better to be a culturally competent health professional. This is because of my desire to become one - yes, there are clear circumstances that you do not need to be a culturally competent professional, but I want to be one, especially if I am dealing with an individual or group of individuals. I also mentioned how it is their job to learn - and I meant that. Above, I wrote "Don't assume; ask" and hope that every healthcare professional out there does this. The best teacher is the one you served. They are the ones who receive your service and the consequences of your action befall them.

References:

(1), (2), (4) Mangaoang, E.J. (2021). Week 3 Culture and What It Means to You. Google         Drive. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yA9O5Mw-RMuAurFgFwpeAYRX7Xg--ASj/view?    usp=sharing

(3) Ritter, A.L. & Nancy, A.H. (2010). Multicultural Health. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC.