title = "Cultural Competency and Inclusive Care Practices"

content = """
Home health agencies serve patients from diverse cultural, linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic
backgrounds. Culturally competent coordination requires awareness of how cultural identity shapes
patients' understanding of illness, their expectations of healthcare providers, their family decision-
making dynamics, and their communication style.

**Language Access**
Federal law requires that patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) receive meaningful access to
care through qualified interpreters. This means:
- Do not rely on family members or minor children to interpret for clinical conversations — they may
  censor, misinterpret, or be emotionally unable to convey clinical information accurately.
- Use the agency's contracted telephone or video interpretation service for all clinical discussions
  with LEP patients.
- Document the language used and the interpretation method in every visit note.
- Provide key patient education materials (medication instructions, patient rights) in the patient's
  preferred language when available.

**Religious and Spiritual Considerations**
Certain religious traditions have implications for care delivery — dietary restrictions, observance days
that affect scheduling, prayer times that should not be disrupted, restrictions on physical contact by
clinicians of a different gender, or end-of-life care preferences. Ask respectfully at intake about
any care preferences related to the patient's beliefs and document them in the care plan.

**Health Literacy**
Health literacy — the ability to understand and act on health information — varies widely among patients
regardless of education level. Write and speak at a 6th-grade reading level. Use the teach-back method:
ask the patient to demonstrate or explain what they understood, rather than asking "Do you understand?"
Avoid acronyms and medical jargon. Use diagrams or models when available.

**Addressing Distrust**
Some patients, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, may distrust healthcare
institutions based on past experiences or structural inequities. Do not dismiss this distrust as
irrational. Approach it with transparency, consistency, and respect for the patient's autonomy. Give
the patient time to ask questions, and ensure that their concerns are heard and addressed, not overridden.

**Coordinator's Role**
Flag any cultural or linguistic needs identified at intake or during the episode so that clinician
assignments can account for language capability and patient comfort. Escalate persistent cultural
conflict or patient-caregiver interpersonal friction to the clinical supervisor or MSW.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
