Applicant: 

Ardith Z. Doorenbos, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
University of Washington
Seattle, USA

Abstract:

The growing diversity within countries throughout the world compels a corresponding growth in culturally-congruent care to ensure optimal and equitable health care outcomes. During end of life, a time of heightened stress for patients and their families, cultural congruence is essential to quality care. Hospice providers are key points of contact with patients and families; thus improving hospice providers’ cultural competence is central to the health care system’s ability to provide access to and delivery of high-quality, high-value health care to patients of all cultures.

This project is a repeated-measures research study designed to evaluate the effect of a web-based cultural competence intervention on hospice providers' cultural competence. The secondary goal for the study is to establish acceptability, feasibility, and potential effect size prior to a future longitudinal web-based cultural competence intervention for hospice providers. We will sample 60 providers from hospice agencies. The web based intervention; Culture & End of Life will be completed by study providers over a two month period. Providers' cultural competence will be assessed using the Cultural Competence Assessment tool at baseline and after completion of the Culture & End of Life intervention. At present, traditionally underserved groups continue to be underrepresented in available hospice programs. Improvement in provider cultural competence can lead to more culturally congruent care, a needed element in ensuring that members of underserved groups have equal access to quality care.