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2006 Conference Objective
Since our first national meeting in 1998, the conference series has emphasized
a public-private blend of service delivery, policy-making, community advocacy,
civil rights enforcement, research and leadership development to improve
the health of diverse populations. Cross-cutting themes in conference
sessions stress practical innovations, while presentations on cutting-edge
research show progress over time and point the way to challenges yet to
be solved.
The proposed agenda and objective for the
Fifth National Conference maintain this tradition. The objective of
the Fifth National Conference is to identify and highlight leading work
in the areas of health care quality, cultural competence and disparities
reduction, and to provide a forum for cross-discipline exchange that promotes
integration of these fields in health care practice and policy.
At our 2000 conference, Mark Smith, MD, President of the California HealthCare
Foundation, urged conference participants in his keynote address, “Culture
and Quality: Joining the Levers,” to align more closely with quality
improvement efforts. He referenced the Institute of Medicine’s report
that designated six quality measures -- safety, effectiveness, patient-centered,
timely, efficient and equitable care – and recommended adoption of
these measures by the cultural competence movement. “The keys for
the [cultural competence] movement are first to focus on the quality issues;
second to frame them as quality issues… and third, wherever possible
to use existing metrics as levers to highlight problem areas.”
Since then, numerous reports, such as the IOM’s Unequal Treatment
(2002), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality series of
National Health Care Disparities reports, have underlined the importance
of addressing longstanding disparities in health care quality. As summarized
in the IOM’s 2001 Envisioning the National Health Care Quality
Report:
“Patients of different races, cultures, genders, and ages have different
preferences and beliefs that providers must take into account in order
to achieve patient-centered care. … [A]n effective partnership is
facilitated by culturally competent health care. For example, patient
centeredness can be furthered when patients receive information in their
own language, when the clinicians have greater awareness of potential
communication difficulties, and most importantly, when care is provided
taking into account the context of the patient's cultural beliefs and
practices.”
In addition to this work, our national conference has become a venue
for many discussions exploring the link between quality, cultural competence
and disparity reduction. At our most recent conference in 2004, a special
one-day meeting on the link between quality and cultural competence, supported
by AHRQ, brought together key stakeholders from both disciplines. As summarized
in the final meeting report, Establishing the importance of cultural
competence in health care quality improvement (Fortier, 2005), meeting
participants confirmed the essential link between these areas in their
work and in their observations. The report drew on core elements from
quality and cultural competence/disparities reduction initiatives and
research to advance the IOM quality framework and Mark Smith’s recommendation
by proposing that the six quality dimensions be matched with three cultural
competence/disparities dimensions: interventions addressing cultural needs;
language assistance; and organizational supports for cultural competence.
Ultimately, related interventions, measurement, and training will need
to focus on quality-related outcomes, patient experiences in care delivery
and the organizational role in reducing racial and ethnic disparities,
using cultural competence as an important tool for achieving these goals.
The 2006 conference recognizes this interest in the intersection of quality,
cultural competence, and disparities reduction. It also offers the opportunity
to build on the work from previous conferences and to address questions
and concerns arising from health care professionals, policymakers, and
consumer representatives. The proposed agenda and objectives for the Fifth
National Conference will maintain the conference tradition but will extend
its reach to include health professionals working in quality improvement
and disparities reduction. We will also continue to feature opportunities
to learn about “best practices” and leading initiatives designed
to improve culturally competent health care.
Using familiar and innovative conference formats, we propose three goals
to present conference material and expand on the traditional base of conference
participants.
Goal 1. Facilitate a dialogue among the fields
of quality, cultural competence and disparities reduction
Building on the themes outlined above, this conference will offer an
opportunity for leaders from these fields to meet, learn from each other,
and develop working relationships that will further the integration of
cultural competence and disparities reduction into quality improvement.
Goal 2. Promote the importance of regional initiatives
in setting national and international trends
Cross cultural health care was established and continues to demonstrate
its strength in local and regional initiatives. This conference will pay
special attention to the programs and policies developed in the Pacific
Northwest, with additional presentations from around the United States.
The conference will also feature cross cultural health initiatives from
other Pacific Rim countries, and from the European Union.
Goal 3. Support people already involved in cultural
competence
Conference evaluations continually emphasize the importance of these
gatherings to those involved in developing, implementing, refining and
evaluating cultural competence interventions and theories. In addition
to offering conference sessions and workshops aimed at a variety of skill
and knowledge levels, we will offer more face-to-face expertise and experience
sharing through interest-specific lunchtime networking, roundtable discussions,
and peer-to-peer practice advancement sessions.
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