Notes on the article by by E-shien Chang et al. “Integrating cultural humility into health care professional education and training.”

The article talks about the necessity to expand cultural sensitivity with the emphasis on cultural humility. The authors brings us several examples of how important cultural humility is and how destructive its lack can be. They make a strong point in that the model they are proposing (QIAN model) would allow to correct some faults in patient care such as imbalance of power, which often prevents completely open communication and thus does not allow the doctor to see the full picture. The inclusive nature of this model is adaptable to different cultural and ethnic groups and can be used to enhance cross-cultural communication skills of very different healthcare professionals. 

While the model consists of four main parts: Question, Immersion, Active Listening, and Negotiation the root of the approach lies first of all in self-reflection:

“The key to “continuously strive to achieve the ability to effectively work within the cultural context of an individual, family, or community from a diverse cultural/ethnic background” (Campinha-Bacote et al. 1996) in this case, as inspired by the Chinese philosophers, is the engagement of self-reflection in relations to others. In short, it is the spirit of cultural humility.” P. 273

It is important to understand that self-reflection is essential in any type of interaction with people, especially in healthcare. As the authors pointed out, while the acquiring of cross-cultural knowledge requires our intelligence, the application of this knowledge “involves our compassionate and humble hearts” (p. 276).