The resources below are a selected list of standards and regulations, training tools, reports, websites, and general resources focused on the issues of culture and language; however, it is not an exhaustive list. Related links to organizations addressing the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services are also available.
STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
Standards in Support of Language and Culture support the provision of care, treatment, and services in a manner that is conducive to the communication, cultural, language, health literacy, and spiritual/religious needs of individuals.
The Joint Commission's Promoting Effective Communication—Language Access Services in Health Care is an article published in the February 2008 issue of The Joint Commission Perspectives that addresses language barriers and language access services.
Language Access and the Law is a document prepared by the HLC staff that summarizes the current laws and regulations that address the provision of language services.
Language Differences as a Barrier to Quality and Safety in Health Care: The Joint Commission Perspective is an article written by Paul M. Schyve, MD, Senior Vice President, The Joint Commission focused on the impact of language barriers on the quality and safety of health care.
Office of Minority Health – National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) are primarily directed at health care organizations; however, individual providers are also encouraged to use the standards to make their practices more culturally and linguistically accessible. The principles and activities of culturally and linguistically appropriate services should be integrated throughout an organization and undertaken in partnership with the communities being served.
TRAINING TOOLS
Health Literacy: New Field, New Opportunities is a free health literacy tutorial funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine New England Region (NN/LM-NER).
Communicating Through Health Care Interpreters is a CME course that will help you understand the legal requirements and clinical importance of working with interpreters; better manage your communications with patients who do not speak English; appropriately use interpreters and interpretive services in your practice setting; and improve your level of cultural competency.
REPORTS
Ethical Force Program Patient-Centered Communication Initiative, Improving Communication - Improving Care. A consensus report by the Ethical Force Program helps health care organizations prioritize effective communication and create environments where staff members and patient populations from diverse backgrounds can communicate better.
GENERAL RESOURCES
The Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital hosted a web seminar Hospitals, Language and Culture: Discussion of The Joint Commission's Survey of Culturally Competent Practices on June 29, 2007.
Office of Minority Health – A Patient-Centered Guide to Implementing Language Access Services in Healthcare Organizations is intended to help healthcare organizations implement effective language access services to meet the needs of their limited-English-proficient patients, and increase their access to health care.
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medicaid Managed Care is a Commonwealth Fund-supported toolkit, based on the experiences of a workgroup of Medicaid managed care organizations, provides strategies for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. It includes case studies and lessons in the use of data to identify disparities, develop patient-centered approaches to care, and collaborate with key stakeholders.
The US Census Bureau provides a language identification flashcard to help identify a patient's primary language.
WEBSITES
EthnoMed is a website containing medical and cultural information on immigrant and refugee groups. It contains information specific to groups in the Seattle area, but much of the cultural and health information is of interest and applicable in other geographic areas. The project started in 1994 to bridge cultural and language barriers during medical visits. The objective is to make information about culture, language, health, illness and community resources directly accessible to health care providers who see patients from different ethnic groups. EthnoMed is designed to be used in clinics by care providers in the few minutes before seeing a patient in clinic.
Minority Nurse.com, the only online resource for today's diversified nursing community, provides resources and information pertaining to education, career development and minority health for the growing population of minority nurses in America.
Modern Language Association Language Map is intended for use by students, teachers, and anyone interested in learning about the linguistic and cultural composition of the United States.
Office of Minority Health – Think Cultural Health is a website that offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural competency in health care. You may access free online courses accredited for continuing education credit as well as supplementary tools to help you and your organization promote respectful, understandable, and effective care to your increasingly diverse patients.
The Provider’s Guide to Quality and Culture is a website designed to assist health care organizations throughout the US in providing high quality, culturally competent services to multi-ethnic populations.
|
For more information on the Hospitals, Language, and Culture study or to sign up for the HLC list serve, contact us at hlc-info@jointcommission.org. |