Promoting cultural competence in HIV/AIDS care

The importance of cultural competence in providing health care to a diverse patient population is well-recognized throughout the health professions, though there is as yet no widely accepted set of criteria for establishing and maintaining cultural competence. In HIV/AIDS, where behavioral factors figure so prominently in transmission, prevention, and treatment, cultural appropriateness is crucial to providing patient education and nursing care. This article suggests some specific cultural competence training strategies and offers a broad conceptual framework for teaching and learning about the issues involved in cultural competence, with specific illustrations relating to HIV/AIDS.