Scoping Review of Economical, Efficient, and Effective Cultural Competency Measures

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Disparities
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Assessing the effectiveness of cultural competency (CC) training in medical education is challenging.
• Numerous CC measures exist, but no single "gold standard" has been established.
• There is a need for practical, economical, and efficient tools to evaluate CC training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and review existing measures for evaluating CC in medical students, residents, and attending physicians.
• To assess the potential of these measures for wider utilization in evaluating CC training.
• To highlight the need for robust psychometric validation of CC assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted using 11 online databases.
• An initial search yielded 9,626 items, which were narrowed to measures assessing CC in medical professionals.
• Six specific CC measures were identified and their literature reviewed.

Main Results:

• Six CC measures were reviewed: Cross-Cultural Care Survey, Cultural Competence Health Practitioner Assessment, Cultural Humility Scale, Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey, Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training, and Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health-Care Provider Inventory.
• Each reviewed measure demonstrated value for its specific application.
• All identified measures require further rigorous reliability and validity testing.

Conclusions:

• Several CC measures show promise for evaluating medical training, but require enhanced psychometric assessment.
• Future research should prioritize the inclusion of psychometric validation in studies using these measures.
• Standardized, validated tools are crucial for accurately assessing the impact of CC training on healthcare providers.