Cultural Competency

Cultural Competency as defined by the US National Cancer Institute is “The ability to understand, interact, and work well with people of different cultures. In medicine, one goal of cultural competency is to help make sure that the quality of the healthcare is equal among different cultural groups.”

This is always an important issue in healthcare access and delivery; however, it takes on even more significance within the global context of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society and with the increase in global/international clinical trials.

Useful information on cultural competency may be found at the following links:

• “Patient Centeredness, Cultural Competence and Healthcare Quality”
• US National Institutes of Health “Clear Communication”—(health literacy, accessible language, and low-literacy focus)
• “Enhancing the Cultural Competence of Healthcare Professionals through an Online Course”
• “Teaching Cultural Diversity: Current Status in U.K., U.S., and Canadian Medical Schools”
• “Need for Ensuring Cultural Competence in Medical Programmes of European Universities”