Advanced Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and ...

A Roadmap for Hospitals
Chapter Six: Organization Readiness
• Consider varying the methods used to provide staff
training, including in-service sessions, grand rounds,
case studies, DVD courses, and online modules.*
• Provide staff training opportunities at intervals
throughout the year (for example, new staff
orientation, ongoing training).
• Incorporate staff training into yearly performance
expectations.
• Support the hospital’s current efforts to address
effective communication, cultural competence, and
patient- and family-centered care. For example, train
staff to address patient communication needs,
including patients whose preferred language is not
English or patients who have sensory or
communication impairments.
• Encourage staff to improve their overall
communication skills, including communication
between patients and providers and communication
between providers.
• Address unique patient needs in relevant policies and
procedures (for example, visitation, access to chosen
support person, nondiscrimination).
• Inform staff about federal and state laws and regulations
that support effective communication, cultural
competence, and patient- and family-centered care. †
❑ Identify staff concerns or suggested
improvements for providing care that
meets unique patient needs.
The hospital relies on its staff to communicate effectively
and provide culturally competent, patient- and familycentered
care. Staff should have the opportunity to voice
any concerns with or suggest improvements to meet unique
patient cultural, religious, spiritual, mobility, or other needs.
• Conduct a staff survey to evaluate the staff’s current
ability to meet patient needs, including their experiences
using language services and auxiliary aids, barriers to
accommodating cultural and religious or spiritual needs,
and any other issues that should be addressed.
• Create an environment that welcomes diverse staff
members which, in turn, welcomes diverse patients.
Provide support for staff caucuses or special interest
groups to freely and openly discuss any cultural,
religious, disability, LGBT, or other concerns.
• Promote staff discussion around the challenges and
barriers to providing care that meets unique patient
needs. For example, consider implementing Schwartz
Center Rounds , which provides multidisciplinary
providers an opportunity to discuss difficult emotional
and social issues that arise while caring for patients [19].
• Protect staff from discrimination based on age, race,
ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or
mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual
orientation, or gender identity or expression.
Recommended Issues and
Related Practice Examples that
Address the Provision of Care,
Treatment, and Services Domain
of Organization Readiness
❑ Create an environment that is inclusive
of all patients.
It is important for the physical hospital environment to
support the diversity of the patient population. From the
layout of the waiting areas to accessible equipment to the
navigational signage to artwork and magazine selection,
hospitals can create a welcoming atmosphere to put
patients at ease.
• Incorporate the concepts and principles of universal
design to create a physical environment inclusive of all
patients. The hospital can use the universal design
philosophy when building or remodeling hospital
spaces or purchasing medical equipment to make sure
facilities, products, and services can be used and
accessed by all people. Table 6-4 , on page 40, outlines
the seven principles of universal design [20].
• Provide a diverse collection of magazines and brochures
in the waiting area inclusive of the preferences of all
patients. The hospital should consider from among the
many publications tailored to different populations,
cultures, and communities when selecting materials to
match their patient population.
• Reflect the diversity of the patient population in hospital
marketing materials and decor.
• Make sure navigational signage can be understood by
the patient population. Incorporate pictures or symbols
into navigational signage, or consider providing
bilingual signage.
* See Appendix E: Resource Guide (pages 80 and 81) for further information on staff training resources and courses.
† See Appendix D: Laws and Regulations (page 65) for additional information on laws and regulations.
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