How Effective is Cultural Competence Training of Healthcare Providers on Improving Patient Satisfaction of Minority Groups? A Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

Background: With the rapid growth of minority populations in the United States, the need to train healthcare providers to give culturally competent care has never been greater. Extensive research on cultural competence of healthcare providers has been conducted, but no systematic review specifically focused on the effect of cultural competence training on patient satisfaction of clients from minority groups.

Aims: To search and critically appraise published research articles that evaluated the effectiveness of cultural competence training of healthcare providers on improving patient satisfaction of clients from minority groups.

Methods: Using MeSH entry terms: Competency, Cultural; Cultural Competencies; Cultural Competence; Competence, Cultural; Satisfaction, Patient; and non-MeSh text words: Cultural Awareness, Cultural Sensitivity, Cultural Competence Training, Cultural Sensitivity Training, and Cultural Awareness Training, a comprehensive literature search of peer-reviewed articles from 2002 to 2014 in CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science databases was conducted. Original studies that reported cultural competence training and measured its impact on patient satisfaction were included. Quality of the reviewed studies was assessed on the basis of methodological limitations related to experimental design, sample size and sampling approaches, and ethnic spread of the participants.

Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Six studies revealed that cultural competence training intervention significantly increased the cultural competence level of healthcare providers. Five studies demonstrated that cultural competence training of healthcare providers was significantly associated with increased patient satisfaction.

Linking evidence to action: Cultural competence training is an effective intervention that enables healthcare providers to give culturally competent care that increases satisfaction of patients from minority groups. However, more research with better research designs, large sample sizes, and validated standardized cultural competence and patient satisfaction assessment tools is needed to unequivocally attribute cultural competence training to patient satisfaction.

Keywords: cultural competence; cultural competence training; healthcare providers; minority groups; patient satisfaction.