176718 Evaluation of a Tuberculosis Specific Cultural Competency Training for Tennessee Department of Health TB Program Staff

Monday, October 27, 2008

J.M. Mangan, PhD MST , Lung Health Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
K. Ottenwess, MPH , Southeastern National TB Center, Gainesville, FL
Donna Wegener, MA , Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Robin Lewy, MA , Rural Women's Health Project (USA), Gainesville, FL
Katie Garman, MPH, CHES , TB Elimination Program, Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville, TN
K. Simpson, MSHSE , Southeastern National TB Center, Gainesville, FL
Michael Lauzardo, MD, Msc , College of Medicine, University of Florida, Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center, Gainesville, FL
Background / Rationale: To assist Health Department staff expand their cultural awareness and knowledge, and increase self-efficacy to engage in cross-cultural interactions with foreign-born Tuberculosis (TB) clients; the Southeastern National TB Center in collaboration with their partners developed and implemented a 4-hour TB-specific Cultural Competency Training.

Methods: Immediately following the training, participants were asked to complete a survey to evaluate the impact of the course on knowledge, skills, and motivation to provide culturally competent care.

Results: 68 participants completed the survey. Participants were predominantly female (94%), Caucasian (72%), non-Hispanic (92%) and nurses (41%).

Using a 7-point Likert Scale (1=Strongly Disagree / 7=Strongly Agree) participants agreed the course led to: a greater understanding of the relationship between a person's culture and their health (6.29, SD1.06,) and the need to assess client's values, health beliefs and practices (6.29, SD0.97); increased knowledge to care for foreign-born clients (6.12, SD 1.04); and increased capacity to recognize the influence a provider's biases can have on patient's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (6.07, SD1.19). Participants also indicated the course provided practical information for use in day-to-day activities (6.13, SD1.20)

Moreover, participants reported the course increased their confidence in their abilities to interact with clients in a culturally sensitive manner (5.92, SD1.11), increased their interest in learning about cultural health beliefs and practices (6.09, SD1.15), and encouraged their commitment to provide culturally sensitive care to clients from ethnically/culturally diverse groups (6.21, SD1.15).

Conclusions: Participants reported deriving a number of benefits from the training.

Learning Objectives:
(1) Increase cultural awareness and knowledge (2) Integrate concepts from cultural competency resources into cross-cultural interactions. (3) Understand and be able to utilize at least three of the formats developed for education and training of Spanish-speaking, foreign-born patients and their families

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I assisted with the coordination of the training, presented two sessions and developed the evaluation survey.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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