Health equity is a journey, not a destination. Organizations striving to ensure equitable care for all must prioritize continuous assessment and improvement. But how do you know..
Cultural competency is an essential skill for healthcare professionals, including massage therapists. As practitioners in touch therapy, massage therapists often work with clients..
Healthcare providers play an essential role in creating safe, inclusive environments where patients of all backgrounds can receive equitable, high-quality care. However, implicit..
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are on the front lines of healthcare, engaging daily with patients from various backgrounds and experiences. Providing culturally competent care is..
Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health are a pressing issue in the United States. Black, Indigenous, and other women of color face significantly higher rates of..
November is Native American Heritage Month. In healthcare, this month provides a critical opportunity to address disparities in health outcomes that disproportionately impact..
Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes, stereotypes, or preferences people form about others without realizing it. In healthcare, implicit bias can significantly impact..
Inclusivity is not just a legal obligation—it's a fundamental aspect of patient care and workplace culture. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that individuals with..
Disability awareness in healthcare is essential to providing equitable and compassionate care to all patients. People with disabilities often encounter unique challenges that can..
Healthcare organizations face growing demands to meet health equity and cultural competency standards, including those from the Joint Commission, CLAS (Culturally and..
Each year, from September 15 to October 15, the United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize Hispanic and LatinX history, culture, and contributions to..
Effective communication is essential to delivering quality healthcare, but language barriers can create significant challenges for patients and providers. Miscommunication can..
As a dentist, dental hygienist, or dental therapist in Oregon, staying up-to-date with continuing education (CE) requirements is essential to maintaining your license and..
As healthcare regulations increasingly mandate cultural competency and implicit bias training for licensing, dental professionals are finding these skills essential not just for..
Patient engagement is essential for achieving positive health outcomes. It involves patients actively participating in their healthcare decisions and management, creating a..
Cultural competence—the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures—has become critical to delivering high-quality healthcare...
Cultural competency is crucial for behavioral health providers, as it directly impacts the quality of care they deliver. Being skilled in cultural competency helps providers..
Reducing health disparities is essential to ensuring that all individuals have access to quality healthcare regardless of their background. One effective strategy for achieving..
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, observed every July, highlights the mental health challenges faced by racial and ethnic minority groups. This month is a call to..
Pronouns are a fundamental aspect of our identities. For many individuals, especially those who are transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming, pronouns are a vital..
Cultural competency is essential for providing effective and compassionate mental healthcare, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community, who often face stigma, barriers to care, and..
In today's healthcare landscape, providing inclusive and culturally competent care is more important than ever. Addressing health disparities, enhancing patient outcomes, ensuring..
Pride Month, celebrated in June, honors the LGBTQ+ community’s history, achievements, and ongoing struggle for equality. It presents a unique opportunity for healthcare..
Cultural competency in mental healthcare is essential for healthcare providers to understand and address the diverse cultural perspectives of their patients. Quality Interactions..
Gender bias significantly affects the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders. This bias skews the understanding and support individuals receive and shapes the broader..
In mental health care, the consequences of bias can profoundly affect patient outcomes. Despite the best intentions, unconscious biases can still influence the assessments,..
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a critical time for healthcare professionals to focus on their own mental well-being, how they can better support their patients, and how..
The importance of addressing health disparities has never been more pronounced, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic's stark display of healthcare inequities. In..
As the demographic makeup of the United States continues to evolve, with projections indicating that Hispanic and non-White racial and ethnic groups will constitute the majority..
Black Maternal Health Week 2024 (#BMHW24, April 11-17) is an opportunity to equip healthcare providers with the skills and understanding to improve healthcare for Black mothers..
Medical bias, or prejudice in healthcare settings, can significantly impact patient care and outcomes. To address medical bias, it is imperative to delve into its origins, effects..
Developing cultural competency is essential for providing effective and empathic patient care. For clinicians, understanding religious practices such as fasting during the period..
Understanding and addressing racial bias is essential to delivering equitable healthcare. Racial bias in healthcare is a multifaceted issue that influences patient care, medical..
Healthcare professionals are notorious for throwing around complex medical concepts and jargon that confuses patients rather than helping them understand what's happening to them...
In today's evolving healthcare landscape, understanding and addressing structural bias is an ethical and practical necessity for healthcare organizations. But what exactly is..
Gender bias in healthcare is the disparity in treatment and care that individuals receive based on their gender. Gender bias impacts various aspects of medical care, including..
As society becomes progressively diverse, the healthcare industry must evolve to meet the varied needs of all patient populations. Embracing cultural diversity is essential to..
Until recently, many hospitals and healthcare organizations lacked formal interpreter services for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Commonly, these facilities..
Person-centered care is a benchmark for high-value healthcare. The expectation of person-centered care is that healthcare providers will make clinical decisions based on..
Implicit bias, or the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions, can significantly influence patient care in healthcare settings...
This October, as we recognize Health Literacy Month, it is essential to promote and enhance the ability of patients to understand, interpret, and use health information..
Relationships between patients and healthcare professionals are based on the same qualities necessary for any relationship to be successful. These include respect, good..
Culture shapes almost every aspect of our lives, including our beliefs, customs, and daily interactions with the world and people around us. However, we often oversimplify..
The US healthcare landscape is comprised of diverse cultures, beliefs, and traditions. As frontline caregivers, nurses are pivotal in integrating medical care and a wide range of..
In a diverse marketplace, cultural sensitivity in healthcare is an ethical responsibility and a business imperative. Understanding cultural sensitivity in healthcare and how..
The ability of nurses to effectively communicate, understand, and provide high-quality care to individuals from different cultures is essential in our increasingly diverse..
Healthcare administrators and mental health practitioners must adopt culturally responsive counseling methodologies to serve diverse patient populations. As our society becomes..
In today's healthcare landscape, cultural competency ranks as a top priority for healthcare institutions committed to providing equitable and high-quality care to patients from..
The U.S. is home to a rapidly growing Hispanic population, making it essential for healthcare professionals to embrace and understand the cultural distinctions of this community...
BOSTON, MA - Quality Interactions, a leading provider of online cultural competency and implicit bias training for healthcare professionals, announced that it has successfully..
As patient populations grow more diverse, the healthcare system must adapt and provide care that is tailored to the needs and expectations of individuals from a variety of..
Within the field of mental health treatment, there's an urgent need for culturally competent mental health providers who can provide inclusive care to an increasingly diverse..
Quality Interactions is committed to empowering healthcare providers to provide equitable care through cultural competence and bias awareness. Our newest course on Racial Health..
The Joint Commission, a leading nonprofit in the healthcare sector, accredits heathcare organizations and programs in the US. Achieving accreditation from the Joint Commission..
Cultural competence is a term that has been in use since the 1980s to describe the ability of professionals to provide effective, high-quality services to people from diverse..
Implicit (or unconscious) happens when our actions, behaviors, or judgments are influenced by stereotypes without our conscious awareness or control. In the context of healthcare,..
A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plan is a critical tool your healthcare organization can use to ensure it provides the highest quality of care to all patients, regardless..
Telemedicine has the potential to reshape the delivery of healthcare and improve health equity. Just as with in-person interactions, cultural competency is an essential skill to..
Conversations around achieving health equity often include references to structural racism (also called systemic or institutional racism), which describes the web of social,..
Cultural competency training can help you and your healthcare team meet the CLAS Standards related to communication and language assistance for patients with limited English..
The Quality Interactions webinar, "When Language Barriers Lead to Poor Patient Care (And What to Do About It)," provides information and care tips for successfully working with..
Approximately 21.5 million individuals in the United States belong to the LEP population. For these residents with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), navigating healthcare..
In June 2022, Michigan joined a growing number of states in requiring implicit bias or cultural competency training for its healthcare providers. State governments are taking this..
Pronouns are a standard part of speech and written communication. They provide a shorthand way to refer to a proper noun—a person, place, or thing—without excessive repetition...
Dr. Joseph Betancourt, a Quality Interactions co-founder, worked on the Unequal Treatment report, the landmark study of racial and ethnic health disparities and the impact of..
We recently updated our Implicit Bias course, "Recognizing and Responding to Implicit Bias." The new version is more engaging, interactive, and packed with the latest research on..
Black History Month gives us the opportunity to recognize Black Americans' contributions to our culture and society. It's an essential social observance, but merely witnessing..
The United States has a long history of anti-LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) bias that has negatively impacted LGBTQ health and healthcare. Although social..
Top media outlets, including NPR and CNN, have turned to Quality Interactions Co-Founder, Dr. Joseph Betancourt, to better report on the critical issue of health disparities and..
The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable among us. This includes the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. It also includes..
Quality Interactions’ pioneering cultural competency education was chosen by the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) to reduce unconscious bias and improve customer..
Culture impacts every mental health patient—and every mental health practitioner. Culture is a key factor that we all bring to every interaction, and it can be especially..
Culture is a complex concept. It includes people’s beliefs, values, behaviors, and ways of understanding their world. In medicine, managing cultural differences—including..
Culture has a profound impact on healthcare decision-making for Latino individuals and families. Yet Latino cultural beliefs are rarely understood or integrated in American..
The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country. Yet we struggle with healthcare access and quality, and our overall population is less healthy than other developed..
Limited English proficiency (LEP) refers to a lack of fluency or comfort in the English language. In the healthcare sector, working with patients with LEP has become essential to..
Historically, companies and institutions have grappled with the challenge of discriminatory behaviors rooted in implicit biases. Past incidents serve as reminders of the..
I've given hundreds of presentations on culturally-competent care to busy clinicians around the world. At the end of my talk, someone always asks the "time question." I know..
If you've grown up in the U.S., you're probably familiar with the concept of a patient's "right to know." American culture holds that patients are entitled to be fully informed in..
Trust in the healthcare system is at an all-time low—only 34% of Americans have “great confidence” in medical leaders, as compared to 73% in 1966. So if you are a health..
Unconscious (or implicit) bias can have a life-or-death impact in a healthcare environment. Learning how to identify and overcome bias is essential to improving the delivery of..
Everyone has unconscious or implicit biases that impact our judgment and behavior. Since these biases are unintended, or “unconscious,” it is essential to have a way to uncover..
This has been a banner year for Moffitt Cancer Center, with five national distinctions honoring their steadfast commitment to equitable care, including recent recognition from the..
Effective communication is the lifeblood of healthcare interactions, and this becomes particularly complex when dealing with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) or who..
Health literacy describes a person's ability to obtain and understand the medical information needed to make informed healthcare decisions. This includes the ability to understand..
