Cross-cultural Care and Cultural Competence

• Cultural competence is the understanding of diverse attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, practices, and communication patterns attributable to a variety of factors (such as race, ethnicity, religion, SES, historical and social context, physical or mental ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, or generational and acculturation status).
• A health care provider is cultural competent when he/she is able to deliver culturally appropriate and specifically tailored care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors.
• Providing culturally competent care is an advocated strategy for reducing heath disparities.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)