Mind the (cultural competency) gap: bridging cultural barriers in physiotherapy practice – a quality improvement project

INTRODUCTION: The increasing diversity of the UK's population, along with significant inequalities in health outcomes among diverse cultural and ethnic groups, highlights the critical need for healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, to deliver culturally competent care. Research demonstrates that cultural competency (CC) in healthcare can enhance patient outcomes, improve treatment adherence, and address health inequalities. This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the impact of a brief training intervention on perceived CC among physiotherapists engaging in cross-cultural, clinical encounters. METHODS: The design of this project was informed by principles of the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. Musculoskeletal physiotherapists voluntarily participated in this educational intervention by completing a CC e-learning course developed by Health Education England. A retrospective evaluation method was used, where participants rated their awareness, knowledge, and skills in providing care to diverse patient groups after completing the training as compared to before. RESULTS: The pre-and post-training responses assessed three constructs of CC: awareness, knowledge, and skills. Significant increases were observed in the mean scores for each construct, as well as in the overall aggregate CC score, indicating measurable improvements following the training. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in CC is viable and achievable through targeted training. CC is a lifelong, dynamic process that requires ongoing education. Therefore, further PDSA cycles are recommended with more advanced educational sessions. Additionally, future projects should assess the impact of enhanced CC on patient outcomes and experiences. Cultural competency must encompass cultural issues beyond racial and ethnic differences.