A survey of multicultural awareness among hospital and clinic staff

Building a knowledgebase regarding multicultural beliefs and practices will help health care providers meet the challenge of caring for persons of diverse cultures. It is evident that developing greater multicultural awareness will also help health care workers improve patient care. For this reason, an Interdisciplinary Multicultural Patient Care Team (IMPACT) was developed at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) and UW Children's Hospital in 1994. The IMPACT sought funds through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee institute on Race and Ethnicity to conduct a hospital-and clinic-wide survey of its 4,000 full- and part-time employees regarding their understanding of multicultural issues. The goal of the survey was to expand upon the pilot study conducted in 1994 with the intent of ascertaining staff cultural awareness and educational needs. Over 800 multidisciplinary personnel returned the survey for a 21 percent response rate. These data will be used to set up educational programs and develop a resource network for all personnel.