Delivering effective health services requires knowledge of possible barriers to culturally responsive care.
By identifying these barriers, health care providers can work to counteract them. Read on to learn about three major types of barriers and the impacts they have on clients.
Cultural Barriers
Some cultural barriers that may play a role in SLP and Audiology care are views of disability, independence, child rearing, decision-making, and gender roles. Overall, cultural differences may impact:
- Client-practitioner communication
- Establishment of rapport
- Diagnosis (with the potential for both under- and over-diagnosis)
- Engagement in intervention/therapy
- Decision-making on treatment
Language Barriers
Discordance between the language spoken by practitioners and clients affects:
- Client-practitioner communication
- Establishment of rapport
- Information provision and instruction
- Engagement in intervention/therapy
Limited Resources
A lack of resources such as non-Western based practices, linguistically appropriate materials, interpreters, bilingual SLPs or Audiologists, and sufficient training and education limit the provision of culturally responsive care. This impacts:
- Client-practitioner communication
- Establishment of rapport
- Diagnosis (with the potential for both under- and over-diagnosis)
- Assessment
- Engagement in intervention/therapy