Thoughts on the situation

The situation described is a clear example of how a lack of cultural competence can lead to a negative patient experience. The customer was clearly feeling lost and confused, and the physician assistant did not take the time to understand her needs or to provide her with information in a language that she could understand. This resulted in the customer feeling frustrated and unable to get the information she needed.

CLAS standards

The CLAS standards, or the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care, are a set of guidelines that healthcare organizations can use to ensure that they are providing care in a way that is respectful of the cultural and linguistic needs of their patients. The standards cover a wide range of areas, including communication, informed consent, and patient education.

What the physician assistant should have done

In this situation, the physician assistant should have:

• Acknowledged the customer’s language needs. The physician assistant should have asked the customer what language she spoke and made sure that she had access to a translator if needed.
• Provided the customer with information in her preferred language. The physician assistant should have found a brochure about swine flu that was written in Creole. If no such brochure was available, the physician assistant should have translated the information into Creole for the customer.
• Helped the customer to feel comfortable and informed. The physician assistant should have taken the time to explain the information to the customer in a way that she could understand. The physician assistant should have also answered any questions that the customer had.

Conclusion

By following the CLAS standards, the physician assistant could have ensured that the customer was served effectively and that she received the information she needed in a language that she could understand. This would have helped to improve the customer’s experience and would have made her feel more comfortable and informed.

Here are some additional tips for healthcare organizations that want to improve their cultural competence:

• Hire a diverse workforce. This will help to ensure that your organization has staff members who are familiar with different cultures and languages.
• Provide training on cultural competence to all staff members. This training should cover topics such as communication, informed consent, and patient education.
• Create a welcoming environment for patients from all cultures. This includes things like providing multilingual signage and making sure that your staff members are aware of different cultural norms.

By taking these steps, healthcare organizations can improve their cultural competence and provide better care to their patients.