HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE

In the European Union, Spain is seen as a "nation of services"; therefore, the whole of society, both in Spain and in Europe, must prepare for plural cohabitation. Health and sickness are daily occurrences for people and groups, and have become a part of everyday life for various social and cultural groups. The Spanish healthcare system, and more specifically the Alicante system (both public and private), are accustomed to catering for patients/customers from different cultural backgrounds. Regarding Nursing Management, the need has been observed to create schemes for the management of clinical practice, identifiyng and understanding the specific characteristics of our patients, in order to make decisions and intervene in health planning (Andrews, 2003). This requires a consideration of cultural care, beliefs, references and ways of living of people from both similar and different cultures; this will yield profitable and satisfactory results concerning the general quality of healthcare, as perceived by patients/customers. From June 2001, an intereuropean social and health project has been carried out for the reduction of waiting time for surgical procedures, by the Dutch Healthcare System and the Clinica Vistahermosa in Alicante, Spain. What kind of care management has been implemented in clinical practice? An attempt has been made to avoid ethnocentrism, i.e. believing that our Spanish standards are the suitable and relevant ones, but also no attempt has been made to transfer a "hospital from the Netherlands" into Spain. A negotiation-management process has been designed.