Intercultural communication between patients and health care providers: Anexploration of intercultural communication effectiveness, cultural sensitivity, stress, and anxiety

Cultural diversity is becoming increasingly more important in the workplace . This is particularly true in health care organizations facing demographic shifts in the patients served and their families. This study serves to aid the development of intercultural communication training programs for healt h care providers by examining how cultural sensitivity and effective interc ultural communication, besides helping patients, personally benefit health care providers by reducing their stress. Effective intercultural communicat ion and cultural sensitivity were found to be related. Health care provider s' levels of intercultural anxiety also were found to correlate with effect ive intercultural communication.