A SURVEY OF MULTICULTURAL AWARENESS AMONG HOSPITAL AND CLINIC STAFF

Building a knowledgebase regarding multicultural beliefs and practices will help health care providers meet the challenge of caring for pers ons of diverse cultures. It is evident that developing greater multicu ltural awareness will also help health care workers improve patient ca re. For this reason, an Interdisciplinary Multicultural Patient Care T eam (IMPACT) was developed at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) and UW Children's Hospital in 1994. The IMPACT sought funds through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee institute on Race and Ethnicity to conduct a hospital-and clinic-wide survey of its 4,00 0 full- and part-time employees regarding their understanding of multi cultural issues. The goal of the survey was to expand upon the pilot s tudy conducted in 1994 with the intent of ascertaining staff cultural awareness and educational needs. Over 800 multidisciplinary personnel returned the survey for a 21 percent response rate. These data will be used to set up educational programs and develop a resource network fo r all personnel.