Developing a Culturally Competent Health Network: A Planning Framework and Guide - Book Report/Review Example

Article Review: Developing a Culturally Competent Health Network: A Planning Framework and Guide Developing a Culturally Competent Health Network: A Planning Framework and Guide Summary The article entitled “Developing a Culturally Competent Health Network: A Planning Framework and Guide” was written by a collaboration of eight professionals from various fields of specialization: Gertner, Sabino, Mahady, Deitrick, Patton, Grim, Geiger, and Salas-Lopez (2010). It was published in the Journal of Healthcare Management in its May – June 2010 issue.

The authors proffered pertinent issues relative to the implementation of a cultural competency program that was successfully instituted in Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania. As explicitly stated, the article “provides specific strategies hospitals and health systems can use to facilitate their organization-wide cultural competency initiatives” (Gertner, et al., 2010, p. 191). The ultimate aim, therefore, was to present the results of the cultural competency program through its planning and development stage, up to its implementation phase, to enable health care practitioners and institutions to be guided in improving and expanding the comprehensiveness of their respective cultural competency programs.

The study was specifically conducted at the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), described as a large health system with “1,100-member medical staff includes more than 800 board-certified providers in 95 specialties” (Gertner, et al., 2010, p. 192). A brief overview of LVHN was initially provided prior to expounding on the transformational event in 2006 that rationalized the need for integrating cultural factors in the health system’s patient care program. Through the creation of a task group to enact the needed changes, a strategic plan was initially prepared using environmental scanning and organizational assessment prior to the preparation of a new mission and vision statements, in conjunction with goals and objectives to incorporate enhanced cultural awareness in patient care.

The findings revealed that the strategic transformational effort significantly improved culturally competent patient care and “the likelihood of sustained and widespread organizational success” (Gertner, et al., 2010, p. 202). Professional Critique The strengths of the article could be summed up in its structure and form, as the discourse was effectively written, using simple and comprehensible language that could be clearly understood by a wide range of audiences. Likewise, the authors structured the article in an efficient manner through the provision of headings and sub-heading, as well as through the use of figure (Figure 1: LVHN Cultural Awareness Implementation Program) and tabular illustration (Table 1: Cultural Awareness Projects) to coherently summarize and highlight crucial information being presented.

In addition, the authors sought a total of 26 secondary sources of authoritative reference materials to support their arguments and contentions. The findings and conclusions were appropriately supported using the strategic planning and ecological approach proposed and used in the study. On the other hand, one of the weaknesses noted was that six out of the 26 references (or 23%) were already outdated with publication dates exceeding more than 10 years. The oldest reference referred to was 1981 which was 29 years ago which could affect the validity, applicability and reliability of the information cited therein.

Further, there were no limitations noted but commendably, the study was deemed an appropriate framework for future research, specifically in the area of how organizational success using the ecological approach “can translate into improved clinical outcomes, patient and provider satisfaction, and compliance with regulatory requirements will be the subject of future publications” (Gertner, et al., 2010, p. 202). Further, since only one organization was used to apply the strategic planning framework using the ecological approach, its applicability in other organizations could not be effectively transposed as viable and credible given differences in both internal and external factors that impinge on the operations of health care organizations in diverse contemporary settings.

Personal Response It is one’s personal contention that the article provided a sound and viable approach to incorporate cultural competency in the delivery of patient care. However, as admitted by the authors, its complete success within the organization used (LVHN) could still not be effectively established given the time frame needed to validate its effect in terms of “clinical outcomes, patient and provider satisfaction, and compliance with regulatory requirements” (Gertner, et al., 2010, p. 202). One would like to determine its applicability in other organizations and to find out what other limitations could possibly impede results using the same framework.

One believes that the findings to be generated from future studies using the ecological approach designed within the LVHN setting would be a more interesting subject that one should anticipate. 3Qs 1. How was leadership’s commitment to cultural awareness demonstrated in the LVHN setting? 2. Differentiate the work system model and the three-phase transition model noted in the discourse. 3. What was the cultural awareness mission statement designed by LVHN? Reference Gertner, E., Sabino, J., Mahady, E.

, Deitrick, L., Patton, J., Grim, M., et al. (2010). Developing a Culturally Competent Health Network: A Planning Framework and Guide. Journal of Healthcare Management, Vol. 55, No. 3, 190-204.