Culturally Effective Pediatric Care: Education and Training Issues

This policy statement defines culturally effective health care and describes its importance for pediatrics. The statement also defines cultural effectiveness, cultural sensitivity, and cultural competence and describes the importance of these concepts for training in medical school, residency, and continuing medical education. The statement is based on the premise that culturally effective health care is important and that the knowledge and skills necessary for providing culturally effective health care can be taught and acquired through 1) educational courses and other formats developed with the expressed purpose of addressing cultural competence and/or cultural sensitivity, and 2) educational components on cultural competence and/or cultural sensitivity that are incorporated into medical school, residency, and continuing medical education curricula.