COMPONENTES ESENCIALES DE ORGANIZACIONES SANITARIAS CULTURALMENTE COMPETENTES: REVISIÓN DE LA LITERATURA/ ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF CULTURALLY COMPETENT HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

The number of international migrants has risen throughout the world, reaching currently 244 million people. This figure represents 3.3% of the world population. Studies show higher rates of illness, disability, death and lower quality care for immigrants. Health professionals and their cultural competency has usually been the focus on research when discussing about cultural diversity care, with less attention paid to the organization in which they work. A narrative review of the literature was carried out aiming at identifying both the characteristics that health organizations should have in order to be culturally competent, and possible improvement actions to provide quality care in response to cultural diversity. The literature shows that in order to be culturally competent, organizations must include five aspects: the organizational commitment to diversity, the existence of managers that promote actions focused on cultural diversity, the maintenance of data records of the population they cover, the presence of diverse personnel working in them and the guarantee of the maintenance of a culturally competent communication. Identifying these components can help organizations to analyze their structures and functioning and thus plan actions that help reduce ethnic disparities in the care that they provide, improve the quality of care, meet social, cultural and linguistic needs of patients, promote the integration of people in the health system and finally contribute to health equity.