An Online Training Module on the Cultural Formulation Interview: The Case of New York State

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Cultural Competence in Medicine
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Professional guidelines advocate for cultural competence training for healthcare providers.
• A lack of standardized cultural assessment tools has limited research in this area.
• The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is a tool designed to assess cultural factors in mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate provider demographics and satisfaction with an online Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) training module.
• To assess the perceived usefulness of the CFI as a cultural competence tool after training.
• To determine the impact of an active learning approach in cultural competence training.

Main Methods:

• An online training module for the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) was developed using active learning principles.
• 423 healthcare providers completed the online CFI training module.
• Demographic characteristics and evaluation scores were collected from participants.

Main Results:

• The online CFI training module, incorporating active learning, was associated with strong favorability ratings.
• The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) itself received high favorability ratings from providers post-training.
• Participants reported positive perceptions of the CFI's usefulness as a cultural competence tool.

Conclusions:

• Online, active learning-based training for the Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is well-received by providers.
• The CFI is perceived as a useful tool for enhancing cultural competence in clinical practice.
• This training approach may help overcome barriers to research on cultural assessment in healthcare.