A glance at the future of cultural competency in healthcare

Cultural competency was first articulated in the 1980s to address the issues of discrimination and disparities in the provision of healthcare services. Since then, countless efforts have been made to educate and train a culturally competent healthcare task force. As the current US government unveils its healthcare reform, one might wonder what will be the future of the cultural competency in health care. The question is even more pertinent if the upcoming demographic shift of the US population is added to the picture. The most recent data from the Census Bureau stated that Asians and Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the US population.¹ Therefore the majority of the patients receiving primary and preventive care under the changes with the Affordable Care Act will be among today's minority groups. So more than ever before, time needs to be spent on analysis and discussion of how these important changes will shape the quality of care that ought to be culturally sensitive as an aspect of delivery of excellent care.