Health Resources and Services Administration Study On Measuring Cultural Competence in Health Care Delivery Settings: A Review of the Literature

“The objectives of this project are to: 1) develop a conceptual framework for measuring cultural competence in health care settings; 2) identify specific indicators and measures that can be used to assess cultural competence within health care; and 3) assess the feasibility and practical application of these measures. The following report details a comprehensive review of the cultural competence theoretical and methodological literature. This report is one component of the larger measurement profile project, which involves further development and refinement of the profile through site visits to best practice health care organizations and clinics, as well as discussions with experts in the field. This literature assessment serves two related purposes. The first is to synthesize and examine the state-of-the-art of measurement of cultural competence, particularly as related to health care, in order to develop a potentially useful resource for the field. In addition, the literature assessment will provide a basis for decisions about the scope, content, and value of the measurement profile to be developed in this project.” – Publisher’s description CONTENTS I. Introduction A. Project background and objectives B. Organization of the Report C. Literature review methodology II. Conceptualizing Cultural Competence and identifying critical Domains A. Approaches to conceptualizing cultural competence B. Critical domains for measuring cultural competence C. Topic areas addressed by the critical domains of cultural competence III. Overview of the Measurement Framework and Identification of Specific Measures for Cultural Competence A. Measurement literature review methodology B. Overview of the measurement framework C. Measures by Type D. Type of Measure by Level of Analysis IV. Conclusion A. Review of findings from the literature B. Implications for developing a measurement profile Attachment 1: Annotated Bibliography – Core Models and Methods – Assessment Tools and Evaluative Models – Performance Measures and/ or Indicators – Program- and Condition-Specific Studies Attachment 2: Criteria for Literature Review Attachment 3: Potential Measures/Indicators of Cultural Competence