Critical cultural competence for culturally diverse workforces: toward equitable and peaceful health care

Abstract

In this article, we argue that attaining equity, and therefore peace in health care delivery, necessitates that nursing and other health care professions more carefully attend to the sociocultural context in which health care is delivered. That sociocultural context includes culturally diverse patients, families, and communities, as well as health care providers who are themselves culturally diverse. We draw on findings from Almutairi's doctoral research with health care providers in Saudi Arabia to argue for what he has identified as critical cultural competence for health care providers. In so doing, we explicate the complexity of cultural and linguistic issues and power relations induced by race, class, and gender that can contribute to vulnerabilities for health care providers and recipients alike.