Advanced Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and ...

Glossary
augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
resources Systems or devices that attempt to temporarily or
permanently compensate and facilitate for the impairment
and disability of individuals with severe expressive or language
comprehension disorders. AAC may be required for
individuals demonstrating impairments in gestural, spoken,
and/or written modalities [1].
auxiliary aids and services Devices or services that enable
effective communication for people with disabilities.
Examples include qualified interpreters, note takers,
transcription services, written materials, assistive listening
devices and systems, telephone communication devices for
deaf persons, telephone handset amplifiers, video interpretive
services, and open and closed captioning [2].
bilingual staff Individuals employed by the hospital who have
some degree of proficiency in more than one language.
Bilingual staff serve in a dual role for the hospital, providing
interpreter services in addition to their primary position.
care continuum A concept involving an integrated system of
care that guides and tracks patients over time through a
comprehensive array of health services spanning all levels of
intensity of care [3].
cultural competence The ability of health care providers and
health care organizations to understand and respond effectively
to the cultural and language needs brought by the patient to
the health care encounter. Cultural competence requires
organizations and their personnel to do the following: (1) value
diversity; (2) assess themselves; (3) manage the dynamics of
difference; (4) acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge;
and (5) adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of
individuals and communities served [4].
culture Integrated patterns of human behavior that include
the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs,
beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or
social groups [5].
disparities Racial and ethnic differences in health care that are
not attributable to other known factors [6].
effective communication The successful joint establishment
of meaning wherein patients and health care providers
exchange information, enabling patients to participate actively
in their care from admission through discharge, and ensuring
that the responsibilities of both patients and providers are
understood. To be truly effective, communication requires a
two-way process (expressive and receptive) in which messages
are negotiated until the information is correctly understood
by both parties. Successful communication takes place only
when providers understand and integrate the information
gleaned from patients, and when patients comprehend
accurate, timely, complete, and unambiguous messages from
providers in a way that enables them to participate
responsibly in their care.
family Two or more persons who are related in any way—
biologically, legally, or emotionally. Patients and families
define their families [7]. See also patient- and family-centered
care
gender expression The external characteristics and behaviors
of individuals that are socially defined as either masculine or
feminine, such as dress, grooming, mannerisms, speech
patterns, and social interactions. Social or cultural norms can
vary widely, and some characteristics that may be accepted as
masculine, feminine, or neutral in one culture may not be
assessed similarly in another [8]. See also gender identity and
sexual orientation
gender identity A person’s innate, deeply felt psychological
identification as male or female, which may or may not
correspond to the person’s body or assigned sex at birth
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