Educational Interventions for Culturally Competent Healthcare: Developing a Protocol to Conduct a Systematic Review of the Rationale, Content, Teaching Methods, and Measures of Effectiveness.

Educational programs in cultural competence have become an important strategy to prepare healthcare providers to better address the needs of an increasingly diverse society and to decrease health disparities. However, a literature review found little information on best practices in teaching cultural competence.

Objective: To create a protocol for conducting an effectiveness review of the literature to evaluate best practices in teaching methods, assessment, and interventions in cultural competence for health-related professions.

Methods: The protocol followed guidelines from the BEME (Best Evidence Medical Education) collaborative. Inclusion criteria, preliminary terms, and databases for searching were established. A modified version of the 6 QUESTS and the Kirkpatrick model were chosen to appraise and synthesize the information from studies included in the review. Finally, recommendations and the final report follow the adapted PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) checklist.

Conclusions: Policymakers, researchers, and teachers can use the evidence from a comprehensive systematic review to revise or develop educational interventions, assessment methods, and accreditation requirements for academic programs.