Promoting Culturally Effective Care for Hispanic Families in Occupational Therapy: A Curriculum Pilot Study.

Importance: Occupational therapy students need preparation to provide culturally effective pediatric care that addresses the needs of Hispanic families. Objective: To implement and evaluate a curriculum module aimed at improving occupational therapy students' cultural awareness, cultural knowledge,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:American Journal of Occupational Therapy Vol. 79; no. 2; pp. 1 - 8
Autores principales: Banks, Tyra M., Carames-Foley, Chloë
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: American Occupational Therapy Association Mar/Apr2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Importance: Occupational therapy students need preparation to provide culturally effective pediatric care that addresses the needs of Hispanic families. Objective: To implement and evaluate a curriculum module aimed at improving occupational therapy students' cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills for working with Hispanic families. Design: Mixed-methods, pre–post interventional study. Setting: An entry-level occupational therapy master's program. Participants: Convenience sample of 30 occupational therapy master's students. Intervention: A 2-hr cognitive behavioral–based intervention module on culturally effective care for Hispanic families. Outcomes and Measures: Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist–Revised (CCSACR) administered pre- and postintervention as well as a qualitative questionnaire on self-perceived changes. Results: Significant improvements were found in cultural awareness (p =.013) and cultural skills (p =.038) on the CCSACR. Qualitative data indicated self-perceived improvements in awareness, knowledge, and preparedness for culturally effective practice. Conclusions and Relevance: A brief educational module can significantly improve occupational therapy students' cultural awareness and skills for working with Hispanic families. Curriculum-based cultural training can help prepare students to provide more equitable care. Plain-Language Summary: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a targeted educational module for improving culturally effective care for occupational therapy students working with Hispanic families. The study found significant improvements in students' cultural awareness and cultural skills. Curriculum-based cultural training can help prepare students to provide more equitable and culturally effective care. Positionality Statement: The authors' perspectives are rooted in their social positions, which shape their approach to this research. They both identify as female; one identifies as Black, and one identifies as Hispanic. The authors' experiences have instilled a deep understanding of the systemic barriers and historical injustices that have shaped health care access and outcomes for marginalized communities. This pilot study demonstrates the effectiveness of using a targeted educational module to significantly improve occupational therapy students' cultural awareness and skills when working with Hispanic families.