SynthesisJournal of general internal medicine2011
Does cultural competency training of health professionals improve patient outcomes? A systematic review and proposed algorithm for future research.
Synthesis in Journal of general internal medicine, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 136 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
136 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 370 citations in OpenAlex.
- Primary healthcare, climate-related health impacts and intercultural dialogue: bibliometric evidence of a fragmented research field.Frontiers in health services · 2026Pooled it
- Cultural competency education for healthcare professionals: an umbrella review.BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Delivering mental health and psychosocial support interventions to women and children in conflict settings: a systematic review.BMJ global health · 2020Pooled it
- Healing Conversations: Developing a Practical Framework for Clinical Communication Between Aboriginal Communities and Healthcare Practitioners.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2019Pooled it
- Cultural adaptations to augment health and mental health services: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2017Pooled it
- Biopsychosocial correlates of hope in Asian patients with cancer: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2016Pooled it
- Cultural competence education for health professionals.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews.BMC health services research · 2014Pooled it
- A Cluster-Randomised Stepped-Wedge Impact Evaluation of a Pragmatic Implementation Process for Improving the Cultural Responsiveness of Non-Aboriginal Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- The most significant change for Colombian medical trainees going transformative learning on cultural safety: qualitative results from a randomised controlled trial.BMC medical education · 2022Trial
- Game jams for cultural safety training in Colombian medical education: a pilot randomised controlled trial.BMJ open · 2021Trial
- An Experimental Test of the Two-Dimensional Theory of Cultural Sensitivity in Health Communication.Journal of health communication · 2018Trial
- A web-based cultural competency training for medical students: a randomized trial.The American journal of the medical sciences · 2015Trial
- Integrating disability and language access education in undergraduate medical training: a curriculum mapping study at a rural medical school.Medical education online · 2026Article
- A Review of Reviews Assessing Patient-Provider Racial and Ethnic Concordance in Mental Health.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Review
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Healthcare Experiences for Veterans Receiving Care from VA and Non-VA Providers.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Observational
- Changes in first year medical students' attitudes and perceptions toward cultural diversity: a pilot study in Korea.Korean journal of medical education · 2026Article
- Association Between Patient-Provider Relationship Quality and Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Among US Adults.Cureus · 2026Article
- Negative perceptions of the health system and racial inequities in PSA screening.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2026Article
76 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCultural competency training has been proposed as a way to improve patient outcomes. There is a need for evidence showing that these interventions reduce health disparities.
objectiveThe objective was to conduct a systematic review addressing the effects of cultural competency training on patient-centered outcomes; assess quality of studies and strength of effect; and propose a framework for future research.
designThe authors performed electronic searches in the MEDLINE/PubMed, ERIC, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Web of Science databases for original articles published in English between 1990 and 2010, and a bibliographic hand search. Studies that reported cultural competence educational interventions for health professionals and measured impact on patients and/or health care utilization as primary or secondary outcomes were included. MEASUREMENTS: Four authors independently rated studies for quality using validated criteria and assessed the training effect on patient outcomes. Due to study heterogeneity, data were not pooled; instead, qualitative synthesis and analysis were conducted.
resultsSeven studies met inclusion criteria. Three involved physicians, two involved mental health professionals and two involved multiple health professionals and students. Two were quasi-randomized, two were cluster randomized, and three were pre/post field studies. Study quality was low to moderate with none of high quality; most studies did not adequately control for potentially confounding variables. Effect size ranged from no effect to moderately beneficial (unable to assess in two studies). Three studies reported positive (beneficial) effects; none demonstrated a negative (harmful) effect.
conclusionThere is limited research showing a positive relationship between cultural competency training and improved patient outcomes, but there remains a paucity of high quality research. Future work should address challenges limiting quality. We propose an algorithm to guide educators in designing and evaluating curricula, to rigorously demonstrate the impact on patient outcomes and health disparities.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.