Cultural competence in pharmacy practice is no longer an ‘advised-to-have’ skill; it has become a ‘need-to-have’ pharmacy skill for everyday practice.
According to a report in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, almost 90% of Americans have a pharmacy within a five-mile radius of where they live. This shows how much contact a pharmacist has with the general public.
With this much exposure to people from different cultural backgrounds, pharmacists must learn to understand and respect each culture and its influence on individual patients’ medical decisions.
Additionally, cultural competence is a legal requirement for all pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. According to the Equality Act 2010, religion and beliefs, which make up a person’s culture, are among the nine protected characteristics against which it is illegal to discriminate.
This blog post will explore the need for a culturally competent pharmacist, the benefits, and ways to increase cultural competence in pharmacy practice.
What is Cultural Competence?
Cultural competence can be defined as a person’s ability to understand and effectively interact with people from different cultural backgrounds.
It involves acknowledging and respecting a person’s cultural identity and their decisions based on them.
Why Is There a Need for Culturally Competent Pharmacists?
There are different reasons why there is a surge in the need for culturally competent pharmacists, including:
Increasing Diversity of the US Population.
The United States is a country whose population continues to diversify at rising rates.
Apart from the influx of people from other countries and cultures, some citizens change their cultural beliefs after certain exposures.
People from diverse backgrounds and cultures will likely have differences in health beliefs, practices, and preferences.
Because of this, there is an increase in the need for culturally competent pharmacists who can understand, interact with, and respect these diversities. They can provide culturally acceptable and medically appropriate ways to navigate these differences.
Existence of Health Disparities.
Health disparities have to do with avoidable differences in the health outcomes of people from different groups.
Cultural differences contribute to these health disparities, and by having culturally competent pharmacists attend to patients, health disparities resulting from cultural orientation can be reduced.
Pharmacy Practice is Incomplete Without Cultural Competence.
Effective pharmacy practice aims to provide comprehensive care to address a patient’s pharmaceutical needs.
However, comprehensive care cannot be provided to a patient without understanding the factors that can influence the patient’s medical decisions, including cultural beliefs.
This is why cultural competence is a necessary skill in becoming an effective pharmacist.
Benefits of Cultural Competence in Pharmacy Practice
Here are some benefits of cultural competence in pharmacy practice:
Enhanced Patient-Pharmacist Relationships.
Taking the time and effort to understand and respect a patient’s cultural differences helps foster a strong patient-pharmacist relationship. It allows the patient to feel heard and understood, especially for those who have faced prior differences in the quality of care they received due to cultural differences.
Cultural competence also builds rapport and helps the patient comfortably communicate the challenges they are experiencing regarding their medications and overall health.
Increases Medication Adherence.
A patient’s cultural beliefs can affect how they view medications. For example, a patient might prefer to use herbal medicines or religious practices to deal with a diagnosis instead of adhering to their medication regimen.
A culturally competent pharmacist who understands this can help the patient create a treatment plan based on their beliefs, offer personalized medication counseling, or educate the patient on how some drugs are made from naturally occurring compounds found in plants.
A patient is more likely to follow a treatment regimen when it shows respect and support for their cultural and religious beliefs.
Improves Patient Satisfaction.
Respecting a patient’s cultural beliefs and providing personalized care based on their culture are necessary to increase patient satisfaction.
Also, when the level and quality of care they receive are not affected by their cultural diversity but focused on providing fair opportunities for their health, patients are satisfied and more likely to complete their treatment regimen and return when needed.
Enhances Patient Outcomes.
Offering patients personalized care based on their cultural differences significantly impacts health outcomes. Patients are more likely to comply with medication instructions, show up for refills, and complete their entire treatment plan.
Promotes Health Equity.
Enhancing patient outcomes in a diverse population through cultural competence is vital to promoting health equity.
Cultural competence also helps address the root causes of health disparities, often rooted in cultural differences and socioeconomic factors.
Gives You a Competitive Advantage.
The demand for pharmacists with trending skills is rising in today’s highly competitive pharmacy industry.
Being culturally competent will give you a competitive edge and place you in high market demand.
How to Increase Cultural Competence in Pharmacy Practice
Increasing cultural competence in pharmacy practice is a huge responsibility. However, here are some practical ways that it can be achieved:
Examine Your Cultural Background.
The first step in increasing cultural competence in pharmacy practice is self-assessing your current expertise and identifying areas for growth.
Understanding your level of cultural competency will increase sensitivity and mindfulness when dealing with patients with cultural diversity.
Learn About Your Patient’s Culture.
Arthur Kleinman was the first person to propose the concept of an explanatory model for patients.
This patient explanatory model is a set of eight questions that a pharmacist can ask their patients to assess their understanding of their condition, the personal or social meaning they attach to it, and their expectations of their treatment regimen.
Asked in order, they are:
What do you call your problem? What name does it have?
What do you think caused your problem?
Why do you think it started when it did?
What does your sickness do to you? How does it work?
How severe is it? Will it have a short or long course?
What do you fear most about your disorder?
What are the chief problems that your sickness has caused for you?
What kind of treatment do you think you should receive? What are the most important results you hope to receive from treatment?
Recognize the Cultural Differences.
Culture is not static; it can be subjective and evolve constantly. One of the main points of cultural competence is understanding and respecting an individual’s cultural beliefs.
It is crucial to keep these understandings for the specific individual because, even though people can come from the same culture, they do not necessarily need to share the same thought patterns or behavior. A person is a combination of their culture and their life experiences.
Leverage Professional Development Training.
One of healthcare professionals’ key obligations is committing to constant professional development to stay abreast of relevant changes that can affect patient outcomes and increase relevant pharmacy skills.
Cultural competence training programs can also be introduced to educate pharmacy trainees and personnel about diverse cultures, raise awareness, increase sensitivity, and develop standard procedures for dealing with volatile scenarios.
Negotiate Culturally Specific Therapeutic Plans.
Some cultures have their preconceived ideas regarding the medical system and the use of medications.
When a pharmacist encounters this set of people, it is usually helpful to educate them without judgment or in a condescending way.
Pharmacists can negotiate a safe treatment plan with patients who show consideration for their culture and address their pharmaceutical needs.
Leverage Culturally-Based Resources in Your Community.
Culturally based resources are medical resources that reflect the unique cultural diversity of the community. It could be the language, local slang, or culturally relatable images.
Pharmacists who are trying to build their cultural competence can leverage these resources when dealing with patients. It could be as simple as hanging a medical illustration in the local language or greeting the patient in the local dialect.
When you leverage culturally based resources, you automatically communicate to the patient that they are in a safe space where their culture is acknowledged and respected.
This can open up the patient, who will feel free to express their medical concerns and worries. Additionally, they will be more than willing to pay attention and try out your medical suggestions or advice.
Use a Trained Interpreter.
Establishing an effective method of communication can be a worry when dealing with patients with low English proficiency or if you are assigned to a non-English-speaking community.
However, pharmacists can use interpreters to overcome communication difficulties. The interpreters should be trained and used only when necessary.
Pharmacists can also learn the local way of greeting or how to have basic conversations in the patient’s local language to enhance the flow of communication between the patient and the pharmacist.
Be Sincere.
One of the barriers and causes of anxiety when it comes to cultural competence is feeling like you do not have the right words or phrases that are culturally relevant. For example, you might mispronounce or misaddress a person in a way deemed insulting or disrespectful in their culture.
This is where sincerity comes into play. You can express your lack of confidence in pronouncing a name or addressing someone.
A simple statement like, “Can you help me with the pronunciation of your name? I want to get it right.” or “How would you like to be addressed?” can go a long way in preventing a mishap.
Conclusion
Cultural competence in pharmacy practice improves patient outcomes and strengthens pharmacist-patient relationships.
It also helps to increase medication adherence and reduce health disparities in pharmacy practice.
Community pharmacists are at the forefront of increasing cultural competence in pharmacy practice because they communicate constantly and closely with people in their local communities.
By leveraging culturally sensitive health resources, health literacy can be improved among the local community, empowering people to make informed medical decisions.
Cultural competence is a skill that can be built, and understanding the need, benefits, and ways to improve this skill can be a game-changer in your pharmacy practice.
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