Examine and discuss the process and content of cultural self-assessment for health care organizations institutions, and agencies.

Culture in nursing dq # 12

A cultural self-assessment should be a part of every health care institution or organization. The assessment of the organization’s culture is done to determine areas for improvement, and possible strategies to improve cultural competence. It usually begins by reviewing organizational policies, practices and procedures to determine if there are any biases.

A cultural self-assessment will typically include demographics of staff members and patients, existing employee training programs, assessment tools for patient care, access to language interpreters services as well as whether or not collaborative partnerships with target community organizations have been formed.

Also, organisations should assess the diversity of their staff in terms roles (e.g. administrators vs. providers), as well as positions held by people from backgrounds underrepresented. It is also important to understand how different elements, such as communication style or decision-making process, vary between teams or departments within an organization.

A comprehensive self-assessment of cultural differences can uncover disparities that will inform future efforts to improve cultural competence among staff and patient outcomes. It is important to update this process regularly in order for practices to remain current based on the changing needs of society and demographics.