Cultural Competence (Physical Therapy) The United States is known as a "melting pot"- a country that harbors citizens of different religions, cultures, ethnicities, traditions, among other things. The importance of cultural competence cannot be emphasized enough to American citizens in general as it is with this competence that people can live in harmony. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cultural competence is defined as "a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and polices that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross cultural situations" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). In the context of health care, cultural competence is an important factor in identifying and finding solutions to disparities in the health care system- a way that patients and doctors can communication about health concerns, by taking into account and being respectful of "health...

Department of Health and Human Services). Cultural competence is a concept that is important to health care professionals over all, and also important to those in physical therapy as well.
Foremost, cultural competence is an imperative concept to understand for health care professionals. The power of a patient's culture, which includes religious beliefs, has the ability to influence a myriad of things including how the illness/disease and the cause of it is perceived, thoughts on the health, healing and wellness belief system, their overall perception and assessment of treatment options, among other things. Because culture has the ability to influence a patient's decision on these matters, it is absolutely imperative that healthcare staff work alongside the patients and understand their thoughts in order…