Effective health communication encompasses: Cultural Competence, Health Literacy, Ethics and Moral Distress, and Patient Safety. Throughout this site you will find links to information that aids the development of a culturally competent health care organization. Content is divided into three sections:
Cultural Competence describes a set of behaviors, attitudes and skills that enable us to be effective in interactions that cross cultures. This starts with a personal awareness of our own beliefs and leads to the capacity to provide care that is respectful and responsive to the culture of our patients in order to influence positive health outcomes.
Health Literacy is an individual’s ability to read, understand and use healthcare information to make decisions and follow instructions for treatment. Health literacy is not necessarily related to amount of education or ability to read. Communication must be adapted to the individual's situation and we must ensure communication is understood.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy dealing with values or principles pertaining to human conduct considering right/wrong, good/bad actions, motives, and outcomes. Moral Distress occurs when one knows the ethically correct action to take but feels powerless to take that action.
Patient Safety emphasizes the reporting, analysis and prevention of healthcare errors that may lead to adverse events. It also involves establishing systems and processes that minimize the likelihood of error.
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