Examples of cultural competence in healthcare include arranging a qualified interpreter, asking about food and religious preferences, involving family members with the patient’s permission, and checking that care instructions make sense. Each action begins with learning what the individual patient needs.
A patient may nod through an explanation while still being unsure what to do at home. Another may leave a hospital meal untouched because they cannot tell whether it meets their dietary needs. Staff need a way to ask, listen, and respond.
The scenarios below are hypothetical teaching examples, not accounts of Diversity Builder clients or documented patient outcomes.
What Is Cultural Competence in Healthcare?
Cultural competence in healthcare is the ability of staff and organizations to respond respectfully and effectively to patients whose beliefs, languages, experiences, and preferences may differ from their own. It involves communication skills and practical systems that help staff provide appropriate care.
Cultural diversity in healthcare describes the differences among the people receiving and providing care. Competence concerns how teams respond to those differences. A diverse workforce still needs clear communication processes and support.
The National CLAS Standards provide a U.S. framework for culturally and linguistically appropriate services. They connect respectful care with language assistance, staff education, and organizational accountability.
10 Practical Examples of Cultural Competence in Healthcare
1. Arrange a Qualified Interpreter for Important Conversations
A patient brings a teenage daughter to an appointment. The daughter speaks English confidently and offers to explain the clinician’s questions.
Staff should activate the organization’s qualified interpreter process for the medical discussion instead of making the child responsible for it. A family member can remain a source of support when the patient wishes, without taking on the interpreter’s role.
A useful opening is: “Which language would you prefer for discussing your care? We can arrange language assistance.” Speak directly to the patient during the conversation.
HHS’s CLAS Standards recommend competent language assistance and discourage using untrained people or minors as interpreters.
2. Check Understanding Before the Patient Leaves
A patient says “yes” when asked whether the discharge instructions are clear. That answer alone does not show what they understood.
Explain a small amount of information, then invite the patient to describe the next step in their own words. For example: “Before we finish, could you walk me through what you’ll do when you get home? I want to check that my explanation was clear.”
If something is unclear, explain it differently and check again. Use the patient’s communication support throughout.
AHRQ’s teach-back guidance explains that this checks the explanation rather than testing the patient. It is useful with all patients, not only those who speak another language.
3. Build Food Advice Around What the Patient Actually Eats
A patient receives a meal-planning handout filled with foods their household rarely buys. The advice gives them little help with dinner that evening.
Ask about familiar meals, food preparation, religious requirements, and affordability. A dietitian can then help adapt the clinical recommendations to foods the patient eats.
Try: “What meals do you usually have at home, and who prepares them?”
Avoid choosing a menu based on someone’s surname or appearance. AHRQ’s guidance on considering culture encourages learning directly from patients and avoiding stereotypes.
4. Ask About Faith, Modesty, and Privacy
Before an examination, a patient asks to keep part of their body covered or requests a clinician of a particular gender.
Ask what would make the examination more comfortable. Explain what the procedure involves and discuss available options, such as appropriate draping or a chaperone. Be honest about staffing and clinical limits.
The same approach applies when a patient mentions prayer or fasting: understand the request and involve the appropriate clinician where it affects care. Staff should not independently change medication timing.
The Care Quality Commission’s examples emphasize asking individuals how they want their beliefs reflected in daily care.
5. Let the Patient Guide Family Involvement
Several relatives arrive for an adult patient’s care discussion. One answers every question before the patient can respond.
Ask the patient who they would like involved and what information they want shared. Make room for their own questions and offer a private conversation when appropriate.
You might say: “Who would you like included while we talk about your care?”
This respects family support while keeping the patient’s preferences central. Where decision-making capacity or legal representation is involved, follow the appropriate clinical and organizational process.
6. Discuss Traditional Remedies Without Dismissing the Patient
A patient mentions using a traditional remedy but seems reluctant to explain further.
Respond calmly and ask what they use. The treating clinician or pharmacist can assess relevant ingredients, interactions, and safety concerns.
A possible question is: “Are there any teas, herbs, supplements, or other remedies you use that we should include when reviewing your medicines?”
The goal is an accurate conversation. Respecting a patient’s beliefs does not mean assuming every remedy is safe or recommending that they replace prescribed treatment.
7. Use the Patient’s Name and Relationship Terms
A registration form does not reflect how a patient describes their partner, or the name staff call out is different from the name the patient uses.
Ask how the patient would like to be addressed. Use neutral questions about relationships until they tell you the terms they prefer. Handle required legal or insurance details discreetly, following the organization’s recordkeeping process.
Avoid making the patient explain unrelated parts of their identity. Ask questions that help provide respectful care and accurate records.
This is a simple place to practice cultural awareness in healthcare: notice an assumption before it becomes part of the interaction.
8. Investigate Missed Visits Before Making Assumptions
A patient misses two follow-up appointments. A staff member assumes their community does not value preventive care.
Before drawing that conclusion, ask what made attendance difficult. The patient may work unpredictable shifts, lack transportation, or be unable to understand the booking system.
“What made it hard to attend, and is there something we could change for the next visit?” opens a more useful discussion.
These may be financial, scheduling, or access problems rather than cultural preferences. Identify the actual barrier and involve the appropriate support team. Diversity Builder’s guide to unconscious bias examples offers related examples of assumptions affecting workplace decisions.
9. Respond to Mistrust With a Clear Explanation
A patient says, “Last time I came here, nobody listened.” They hesitate when a staff member introduces the next step.
Ask what they want the team to understand about that experience. Explain your role, what will happen next, and how they can raise a concern. Leave space for questions.
A useful response might be: “What would help us communicate better with you today?”
Do not promise to repair trust in one conversation or assume you know why the patient feels this way. Follow through on any specific commitment you make. Teams can practice difficult interactions through de-escalation and conflict mediation training for healthcare staff.
10. Carry Relevant Preferences Into the Next Handoff
A patient explains a communication need during admission, but the next team has no record of it. The patient must start again.
Record relevant, patient-stated needs in the appropriate place and communicate them during handoffs. Keep the wording specific: preferred language, requested support, or an agreed adjustment.
Avoid labels such as “difficult family” or assumptions based on ethnicity. Include only information needed for care and follow privacy procedures.
A useful final check is: “What does the next staff member need to know to continue this conversation properly?” Confirm preferences again when circumstances change.
Why Is Cultural Competence Important in Healthcare?
Cultural competence matters because patients need to understand their care, communicate concerns, and take part in decisions. An unexplained instruction or an assumption about a patient’s beliefs can leave a practical problem unresolved.
Communication is especially important during discharge, consent discussions, and medication review. AHRQ’s guidance for patients with limited English proficiency identifies these as situations that need attention to language support and understanding.
Training can help staff practice these skills. Organizations also need time, interpreter access, usable information, and clear escalation procedures. Training attendance alone does not demonstrate better patient care.
Cultural Awareness, Competence, and Humility
These concepts work together, but they describe different parts of the task.
| Concept | Meaning in practice | Example |
| Cultural awareness | Notice that your own expectations may differ from a patient’s | Recognize that you interpreted silence as agreement |
| Cultural competence | Apply skills and processes to respond appropriately | Arrange language support and check understanding |
| Cultural humility | Stay open to correction and recognize the limits of your knowledge | Ask about the patient’s preference even when you know something about their community |
Learning about a culture can help you ask better questions. The patient’s answer should guide the interaction.
Examples of Cultural Competence in Nursing
Examples of cultural competence in nursing include checking communication needs at admission, explaining touch before an examination, arranging appropriate meal support, and carrying patient preferences into a shift handoff.
Consider this hypothetical handoff note:
“Patient requests a qualified Spanish interpreter for care discussions. Wants sister present for discharge teaching. Confirm both arrangements before teaching begins.”
That gives the next nurse something to act on. “Family needs help” does not identify the need or the next step.
Before a handoff or discharge conversation, check:
- Have we asked about communication needs and arranged the appropriate support?
- Does the patient want anyone else involved?
- Have relevant preferences been checked rather than assumed?
- Has the patient had a chance to explain their understanding?
- Does the next team know about unresolved needs?
How Healthcare Teams Can Put These Skills Into Practice
Improving cultural competency in healthcare requires practice and follow-through. Start with one workflow, such as registration or discharge, and identify where a patient might struggle to communicate a need.
- Choose a specific interaction. Use an anonymized issue from feedback or one of the hypothetical examples above.
- Practice the response. Have staff rehearse the conversation, including what they would do if support were unavailable.
- Fix the process. Make interpreter contacts, escalation routes, and documentation locations easy to find.
- Check what changed. Observe the skill and ask patients whether the communication helped.
Suggested checks include the time taken to arrange language assistance, whether handoffs include relevant communication needs, and whether staff can demonstrate teach-back. Review feedback alongside these measures. A completed form does not tell you whether a patient felt heard.
Choose a manageable improvement first. For example, ask the registration team to test how quickly they can identify and arrange a patient’s preferred communication support.
Build Cultural Competence Across Your Healthcare Team
Founded in 2003, Diversity Builder offers customized training for organizations, including healthcare teams. Its cultural competence training includes industry-specific exercises, self-assessment, and personal action planning.
For a healthcare team, the discussion can begin with situations staff need to handle more confidently: patient intake, family conversations, communication across languages, or respectful responses to unfamiliar preferences.
Explore training for healthcare professionals to discuss your team’s needs and available delivery options, or call [(615) 823-1717 (line 6158231717)](tel:6158231717).
Frequently asked questions
Can You Be Culturally Competent Without Knowing Every Culture?
Yes. You can build useful communication skills while continuing to learn. Ask individuals about their needs, recognize gaps in your knowledge, and seek appropriate support. Memorizing facts about groups cannot tell you what every patient believes or prefers.
Is a Bilingual Employee Automatically a Qualified Medical Interpreter?
No. Speaking two languages does not by itself establish the skills needed for medical interpretation. Use your organization’s qualification and language-access process. A staff member should take that role only when appropriately assessed and authorized.
What if a Patient’s Cultural Preference Conflicts With Safe Care?
Clarify the request and involve the treating clinician. Explain the concern in understandable language and explore appropriate alternatives with the patient. Use interpreter or other communication support when needed and follow applicable consent, capacity, and escalation procedures.