Poster Explains Evaluation of Cultural Competency Curriculum Guidelines Implementation Workshops

Dr. Barbara Fink and Dr. Hector Santiago with the subcommittee’s AAO poster.

Dr. Barbara Fink and Dr. Hector Santiago with the subcommittee’s AAO poster.

At the 2014 American Academy of Optometry annual meeting in Denver, ASCO’s Cultural Competency Curriculum Guidelines Subcommittee of the Diversity and Cultural Competency Committee presented the results of an evaluation of on-site workshops that were held at nine schools and colleges of optometry in 2013-2014. The Cultural Competency Curriculum Guidelines Implementation Workshops, made possible by grants from ASCO with the support of Walmart, are designed to demonstrate how to use the ASCO Guidelines for Culturally Competent Eye and Vision Care to incorporate topics and experiences in cultural competency into the optometric curriculum.

The evaluation of the workshops, presented in a poster, was based on attendees’ pre- and post-workshop responses to a 23-question survey developed by the committee. One-way and two-way analyses of variance showed that participating faculty members perceived that the workshops raised their cultural competence knowledge and skills. The analyses also showed that the workshops were particularly helpful in clarifying the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health’s Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Service (CLAS) Standards and the use of interpreters for patients who have limited English proficiency.

The subcommittee hopes that each of the ASCO member institutions will embrace the Guidelines for Culturally Competent Eye and Vision Care and allocate appropriate resources for integrating them into their optometric curricula and clinical training programs. Six additional schools are scheduled to receive workshops in 2015.