Effectiveness of cultural competence educational interventions on health professionals and patient outcomes: A systematic review

Purpose This systematic review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize the best available evidence for the effectiveness of cultural competence educational interventions on health professional and patient outcomes. Methods We conducted a systematic review of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. We searched seven electronic databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and four Korean databases in June 2018. Studies that provided cultural competence educational interventions for health professionals and measured the impact on health professional outcomes, patient outcomes, or both were included. A narrative synthesis of study findings was performed. Results Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies used a randomized (n= 5) and a non-randomized controlled trial (n= 6) design and were conducted in the USA (n= 7), South Korea (n= 3), and Sweden (n= 1). Cultural competence education was provided mostly to those of single occupations, nurses (n= 5) or physicians (n= 4). The delivery mode was classroom (n= 7), online (n= 3), or blended learning (n= 1), using mainly lectures, discussions, and case studies as teaching and learning methods. Education duration ranged from less than 1 hr to 3 days. Nine studies reported significantly improved health professional outcomes compared to the control group. Patient outcomes were reported in three studies. Only one study reported significant effect on patient satisfaction (d= 0.94) and trust (d= 0.71). There was no significant effect on patient physiological outcomes. Conclusions Cultural competence educational interventions had a positive effect on health professional outcomes. There is a considerable lack of research assessing patient outcomes, and there is limited evidence on whether interventions can change patient outcomes.