Cultural competence in Primary Health Care: an integrative review

Abstract

An integrative review was carried out in Capes Periodicals Portal on cultural competence in relation to the processes of education, organization and management of work in Primary Health Care (PHC). Twenty-five articles were selected, most of which were published in global North countries (12). Only 4 articles were from Latin America. Conceptions of cultural competence are linked to healthcare models. In the global North, the individualistic, privatistic and biomedical nature of cultural care stands out. In the Latin American context, there is concern about cultural diversity and asymmetries between population groups in the provision of health care. Worldwide, initiatives to educate and train workers to provide culturally competent care are fragile. Nor is there any debate about the effects of the organization and management of work to encourage reflection and induce care practices that take into account the sociocultural belonging of groups and populations.