Background: Health care providers working with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds are often unaware of how culture impacts the services they provide. Undocumented, Latina/Hispanic, pregnant women, living in low SES are a vulnerable population of women that may receive culturally-insensitive services due to the lack of multicultural education and awareness of health care providers. This may result in negative patient health outcomes.
Methods: Health care providers including medical residents, medical students, nurses, and mental health counselors from north-central Florida were included in this study. Participants received a 12-item likert scale questionnaire (Multicultural Awareness Questionnaire) before and after an educational workshop (Multiple Minority Identities and Their Effects on a Vulnerable Population). Data was assessed for evidence of increased awareness and attitudes in the post workshop questionnaire.
Results: Fifty-one health care providers were included in this study. There was statisical significance in 11 of the 12 questions. Highlights include a statistically signficant increase in participant\'s knowledge of the vulnerability of patients and stressors women face, awareness of one\'s own cultural bias, and concern for treatment of patients in the healthcare system.
Discussions: Multicultural educational workshops show a positive statistically signficant impact in the attitudes and awareness of health care providers. It is essential for health care providers to receive multicultural education to ensure diverse populations are best served.
Keywords: multicutural, Hispanic, education
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2016, Student, Resident, Faculty, Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, GME, CME, Global Health, Public Health, Advocacy,
Kay Roussos-Ross, MD, UF Health; Carolina Rueda, MEd/EdS Mental Health Counselor
