OHANA: Optimizing Cross-Cultural Care

Overview

Increasing globalisation and international migration have led to greater cultural diversity in Western societies, including healthcare settings. Hospitals and healthcare environments have become meeting places for individuals from different cultural backgrounds. This diversity presents significant opportunities for improving healthcare, but also introduces complex challenges related to communication, trust and mutual understanding between healthcare professionals and patients. In this context, the concept of culturally competent care, i.e. the ability of healthcare professionals to provide respectful and appropriate care to patients by taking into account their cultural beliefs, values and practices, emerges as a crucial approach to address the specific needs of patients from different cultures. The concept of cultural competence was first introduced by Cross, who defines it as a set of behaviours, attitudes and policies that, when integrated into an organisation or among professionals, enable them to operate effectively in intercultural contexts.

Although there is preliminary evidence on the benefits of cultural concordance, the literature is still scarce and fragmented. In particular, there is a lack of in-depth studies on the subjective experiences of the main actors involved. For healthcare professionals, cultural concordance could be a valuable resource, but also a source of additional stress or pressure, especially if perceived as a task requiring cultural or linguistic competence that is not always adequately supported. For patients, the experience of being cared for by a professional from the same culture might enhance a sense of trust and comfort, but also generate unrealistic expectations or influence perceptions of quality of care. Exploring the lived experiences of healthcare professionals and patients in a context of cultural concordance is essential to understanding perceived benefits, criticisms and areas for improvement. This multicentre study, coordinated by the Gemelli Hospital in Italy in collaboration with several Italian hospitals , aims to explore cultural concordance in a variety of healthcare settings, providing an in-depth understanding of the potentials and criticisms of cultural concordance in hospital settings