Resolution: S-21-26: SUPPORTING OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENT CULTURAL COMPETENCE TRAINING

[Valerie Lile]

WHEREAS, The American Psychological Association defines cultural competence as, “the ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own”^[3]. We advocate for the inclusion of a cultural competency course into the osteopathic medical education curriculum; and

WHEREAS, racial and ethnic minorities make up 26% of the total population, only 6% of practicing physicians and 9% of nurses are Latino, African-American or Native American^[8];

now, therefore, be it

WHEREAS,  ethnic minorities, including African Americans, report less partnership with physicians, less participation in medical decisions, and lower levels of satisfaction with care^[2]; and

WHEREAS, patients delay seeking care due to cultural insensitivity, have concerns about lower quality of care, and the perception that they have been treated unfairly because of race or ethnic background^[2]; and

WHEREAS, a number of medical schools in the United States are required to provide students with cultural competency education as part of their accreditation, but do not have programs yet to fill this requirement^[5]; and

WHEREAS, third year medical students at Emory University School of Medicine scored an average of 55% on cultural competency assessments, with no student scoring above 80%^[1]; and

WHEREAS, medical students reported lack of practical experience caring for diverse patients was the most frequently cited challenge^[4]; and

WHEREAS, cultural competency affects the attitudes and abilities of physicians, improving the patient-physician relationship^[6]; and

WHEREAS, physicians with higher self-ratings of cultural competency reported higher patient adherence, and better outcomes^[7]; and

RESOLVED, that the Student Osteopathic Medical Association and American Osteopathic Association recognize the need for cultural competency training in order to improve patient health outcomes and reduce health disparities; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Student Osteopathic Medical Association and American Osteopathic Association supports expanding and defining cultural training for all osteopathic medical students in order to treat patients effectively in a holistic manner; and therefore

RESOLVED, that The American Osteopathic Association should mandate and review cultural competency training at osteopathic medical schools.

References

1. Bussey-Jones, J., Genao, I., St George, D. M., & Corbie-Smith, G. (2005, September). Knowledge of cultural competence among third-year medical students. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2594777/
2. Cultural Competence in Health Care: Is it important for people with chronic conditions? (2019, February 13). Retrieved from https://hpi.georgetown.edu/cultural/
3. DeAngelis, T. (2015, March). In search of cultural competence. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/03/cultural-competence
4. Green, A. R., Chun, M. B., Cervantes, M. C., Nudel, J. D., Duong, J. V., Krupat, E., & Betancourt, J. R. (2017). Measuring Medical Students Preparedness and Skills to Provide Cross-Cultural Care. Health Equity, 1(1), 15-22. doi:10.1089/heq.2016.0011 https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/heq.2016.0011
5. Integrating Interprofessional Education and Cultural Competency Training to Address Health Disparities. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10401334.2017.1365717?journalCode=htlm20
6. Kripalani, S., Bussey-Jones, J., Katz, M. G., & Genao, I. (2006, October). A prescription for cultural competence in medical education. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1831630/
7. McQuaid, E. L., & Landier, W. (2018, February). Cultural Issues in Medication Adherence: Disparities and Directions. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5789102/
8. Rothman, P., & Faculty CEO, D. (2016, May 27). Diversity in Medicine has Measurable Benefits. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/diversity-in-medicine-has-measurable-benefits

 

Submitted by:

Ahmad Ali, OMS I – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Monisha Rekhraj, OMS I – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Namra Shafi, OMS I – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Katherine Steelman, OMS I – Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Batoul Sadek, OMS II- Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

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