Cochrane Systematic Review: Cultural Competence Education Interventions for Health Professionals

Cultural Competence Education for Health Professionals is a two year project designed to develop a culturally responsive health care education model for Victorian public health services.

Project Background:

In 2009 the Department of Health launched the Cultural responsiveness framework – Guidelines for Victorian health services, which specifies six standards for culturally responsive health care delivery in public hospitals.

In response to standard six which requires that "staff at all levels are provided with professional development opportunities to enhance their cultural responsiveness", the Cultural Competence Education Interventions for Health Professionals project was devised. Its purpose is to develop a cohesive education model that specifies content, teaching and learning methodologies for cultural competence education interventions for application in Victorian public health services.

The project is a collaborative initiative of the Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience Branch, the Health Issues Centre, and the Centre for Health Communication and Participation, (Cochrane Collaboration) based at La Trobe University.

Project Aim:

Through a Cochrane Systematic Review of the evidence-based literature, the project will establish and assess what impact cultural competence interventions in health education have in improving health outcomes in culturally and linguistically diverse patient groups.

Specifically, it will examine the effects of cultural competence education interventions for health professionals on patient-related outcomes, health professional outcomes, and health service outcomes.

From this review, a culturally responsive health care education model will be developed, to be piloted with health professionals in Victorian health services.

Project Milestones:

Stage 1: Title Registration with the Cochrane Collaboration achieved in December 2010.

Stage 2: Protocol is currently in peer review. Once reviewed the Protocol will be amended and submitted for publication.

Stage 3: Systematic review including data extraction and analysis to commence in July 2011.

Stage 4: Review completion and publication.

Stage 5: Cultural responsiveness education model development and piloting in Victorian public health services.