%0 Journal Article
%T Stakeholder views regarding cultural diversity teaching outcomes: a qualitative study
%A Nisha Dogra
%A Olivia Carter-Pokras
%J BMC Medical Education
%D 2005
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6920-5-37
%X A semi-structured interview was undertaken with 61 stakeholders (including policymakers, diversity teachers, students and users). The data were analysed and themes identified.Many participants felt that clinical practice was improved through 'cultural diversity teaching' and this was mostly as a result of improved doctor-patient communication. There was a strong view that service users need to participate in the evaluation of outcomes of cultural diversity teaching.There is a general perception, rather than clear evidence, that cultural diversity teaching can have a positive effect on clinical practice. Cultural diversity teaching needs to be reviewed in undergraduate and postgraduate medicine and better evaluation tools need to be established.Cultural diversity teaching has been advocated for over forty years in the US and more recently in the UK [1,2]. One of the major justifications for it has been that it will help reduce healthcare disparities. The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health reported a case in which a young black man died after being inappropriately restrained. It accused the National Health Service of being racist, and advocated cultural awareness training for healthcare professionals [3]. This paper reports on stakeholders' views about the perceived outcomes of cultural diversity teaching. The discussion considers the implications for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.The use of 'cultural diversity' in this paper is broadly consistent with the definition of culture adopted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Task Force [4] in its report on Spirituality, cultural issues and end of life care. AAMC noted that:"Culture is defined by each person in relationship to the group or groups with whom he or she identifies. An individual's cultural identity may be based on heritage as well as individual circumstances and personal choice. Cultural identity may be affected by such factors as race, ethnicity, age, language, country of
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/5/37