Approaching an Answer

Just like most major societal issues, this lack of cultural competency in healthcare is an in-grown problem with American culture that does not have a silver bullet solution. Rather, there are two ways to approach this problem: short-term or long-term solutions. The answer is clearly not to continue to practice these implicit biases on an everyday basis, but we can not simply wait until we have medical professionals that are raised in a society without prejudice. As long as prejudice exists, the vast majority of healthcare professionals will have actions that are influenced by a lack of cultural competency that is also largely affected by their implicit bias. Thus, we must do our best to suppress this current issue by encouraging healthcare professionals to adopt new measures that are accepting of all people in the short-term. Then, with time, we can implement new requirements and expectations that will shape a cultural shift in healthcare to complete equality in treatment to every patient.