130 likes | 259 Views
LIME 2009. Culturally Safe Clinicians. Training and Education. Undergraduate, graduate coursework Prevocational and vocational training Vertical integration of curriculum and clinical experience CME Responsibility across sector, health workforce. Systems Issues.
E N D
LIME 2009 Culturally Safe Clinicians
Training and Education • Undergraduate, graduate coursework • Prevocational and vocational training • Vertical integration of curriculum and clinical experience • CME • Responsibility across sector, health workforce
Systems Issues • Creating culturally safe environments • Systems reform inclusive of attitudinal and behavioural change • Zero tolerance for racist, discriminatory behaviours • Accountability – incentives, consequences • Facilitate advocacy – students, clinicians, community
What does a culturally safe clinician look like? Critical self-awareness Understands the impact of ownculture & that of the health systemon patient outcomes Committed to indigenous healthand reducing inequities
Ensuring culturally safe clinicians • Undergraduate: • Encourage critical self-reflection and lifelong learning • Engage learners as ‘disciples’ • Evidence-based assessment to identify unsafe students • Postgraduate: • Integrate competencies, teaching and assessment into specialty training programmes • CME to monitor cultural safety, not just participation in cultural competence activities
One example: University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine • In 1999, Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence • Federally funded, HRSA • Director realized few faculty aware of Native Hawaiian Health Disparities • Many faculty were clinical, volunteer faculty • Faculty trained in era of “treat all patients the same” • Failure of that mindset • Health disparities not improved Photo courtesy of: NHCOE and Herb Kane (the artist)
Faculty Development in Cultural Competency • Series of conferences to teach faculty about Native Hawaiian health and health disparities • Traditional medicine and concepts of health and well being • Improving teaching skills • Addressing the needs of Native Hawaiian Doctors • Can cultural competency in providers improve the poor health statistics for Native Hawaiians? • Can physicians trained in western medicine and western ways of thinking bridge the gap that exists with traditional Native Hawaiian approaches to health and healing?
Cultural Immersion • 5 Day experience on the island of Kahoolawe, damaged by bombs, goats, cattle • Healing the land, healing the people • Participants: physicians, faculty, medical students, nurses, traditional healers, family members • Intense cultural immersion experience • Incorporate traditional Hawaiian values and protocol • CME courses
Post Immersion Physician Focus Groups Native Hawaiian Physicians Faculty/community, male/female, various ages and specialties represented. All underwent “cultural competency” curriculum Kaho‘olawe. (Questions:centered on whether previous experiences with cultural competency training had an effect, and on the use of cultural immersion as a teaching strategy) Primary Theme 1: Cultural sensitivity/humility training leading to personal transformation Increased cultural awareness, pride Understood connectedness to land, spirituality Acquired sense of generational responsibility Photo courtesy of ‘Ahahui o na Kauka
Secondary Theme 1: Improved medical practice • Improved patient communication • Awareness of conflict of cultures (Western vs. Traditional) • Increased knowledge of/openness to traditional healing Secondary Theme 2: Cultural sensitivity/humility related student training • Allow time for self discovery and reflection • Discuss culture of medicine, potential conflicts • Consider diversity of backgrounds, stages of readiness • Sustainability of lessons; need follow-up activities • Cultural Immersion experiences should include: • spiritual/emotional preparation • training in protocol and history • exposure to traditional healing
Additional steps • Native Hawaiian research fellowship (new grant) • Yearly departmental conferences that include cultural competency training in some way • Cultural competency curricula being introduced at residency level in various specialties • Standardized cultural patients being used in FP residency • Surgery residency is piloting cases • More regular immersion experiences for clincians, faculty being proposed
Looking to the Future AAMC: USMLE II standardized patient clinical skills stations-must pass!!! Specialty boards online courses in cultural competency coming soon to a specialty board near you….. standardized patient clinical skills stations!! Photo courtesy of ‘Ahahui o na Kauka