Ikaneng Yingwane, third-year medical student at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, explains why cultural competency should be part of the clinical curriculum

“The Rainbow Nation” is a term often used to describe South Africa. It describes the rich diversity of South Africans boasting people of different races, languages, backgrounds, many different religions, etc. Ultimately when people are different in so many ways in the nation, cultural diversity abounds.  Arguably there is no greater experience of this than in the hospital setting as the constitution has made it so all are welcome to receive healthcare. During our rotations in the hospitals and clinics where we attend to patients, we were very quickly aware of the teeming cultural diversity to which we would be exposed.

One misconception I had about culture was that it is only linked to language (ie, to understand a certain culture you only need to learn their language). Further perpetuating this was that we had to learn the common language spoken around the area of the hospital affiliated with our medical school. However, that line of thinking was subsequently abated when even though I had learned the language I found it harder to connect with patients on a deeper level. Consequently, because I could not foster the conditions required for relationship building, I could not gather a wealth of information from the medical history of patients. Although I had language comprehension, cultural competency was still the missing piece of the puzzle. 

My experience above should demonstrate that unfortunately the medical curriculum still falls short in fully incorporating cultural competency in the curriculum. While this relates to my experience within my medical school, upon inquiring with people at other medical schools I found that their experiences were similar to mine. This is something you ought to be aware of going into or continuing on your medical school journey. I implore you to see it as a good thing though; you get to embark on a journey exploring the cultural diversity around you (plus you get to do this in your own time and pace and without anticipating any written tests!).

As you might have already gathered, attaining cultural competence has a profound impact on patients. It fosters trust, improves healthcare outcomes, and enhances the overall patient experience. Understanding and respecting a patient's cultural background, beliefs, and values fosters trust and rapport, which is essential for effective doctor-patient relationships. This trust helps patients to be more honest about their health concerns and to follow treatment regimens more closely. Furthermore, culturally competent treatment aids in the elimination of misunderstandings, misdiagnoses, and discrepancies in healthcare access and quality, resulting in better health outcomes for patients. In essence, cultural competency guarantees that healthcare is not only medically effective but also respectful of each patient's individual requirements and expectations, encouraging a greater quality of treatment and overall wellbeing.