Customizing Health Care for Diverse Patients

The Institute of Medicine identified patient-centeredness as one of the elements of quality health care. The definition of patient-centeredness includes responsiveness to the needs and preferences of the patient. There is a conceptual overlap between patient-centeredness and cultural competence. There are many useful frameworks and resources for understanding and applying cultural competency in health care. Many health care organizations are integrating concepts of cultural competency into their quality improvement and disparities reduction activities. Health professions education and training programs also are integrating cultural competency into their curricula.