ASHP Advises Quality Group to Emphasize Cultural Competency
11/18/2008
Culturally-appropriate health services are essential to ensure high-quality and safe pharmacotherapy to diverse patient populations.
That point needs to be included in the National Quality Forum’s (NQF) proposed standards on measuring and reporting cultural competency, ASHP advised NQF recently. ASHP recommended revisions to NQF’s proposed National Voluntary Consensus Standards for a Comprehensive Framework and Preferred Practices for Measuring and Reporting Cultural Competency. In its comments to NQF, the Society emphasized that the standards should discuss how knowledge of cultural groups and their traditional, health-related beliefs is critical for the safe and effective use of medications. ASHP also noted that the patient’s role in adhering to medications should be a part of the standards. ASHP policy stresses that patients, regardless of race or ethnicity, have the right to high-quality healthcare that reflects the knowledge of, sensitivity to, and respect for their differences. The Society’s online Health Disparities Resource Center provides access to information on ways pharmacists, can help reduce racial and ethnic disparities. NQF member-organizations, including ASHP, will vote to approve the standards after NQF considers revisions based on comments from ASHP and others.
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