Advancing Cultural Competence in Health Care

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 80

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Interests: global health; maternal and child health; adolescent health; migrants and refugees
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Guest Editor Assistant
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: healthcare access; international public health; long-term health conditions; health and wellbeing of migrant populations; physical activity; health promotion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health disparities remain a significant challenge globally, often exacerbated by cultural and linguistic barriers between diverse patient populations and healthcare providers. Achieving health equity necessitates a robust commitment to cultural competence.

This Special Issue will explore the evolving landscape of cultural competence, encompassing concepts such as cultural responsiveness within healthcare systems. We invite empirical research, systematic reviews, case studies, and theoretical papers that investigate innovative educational interventions for health professionals, effective organizational strategies for implementing culturally responsive care, the measurable impact of cultural competence on patient safety, satisfaction, and health outcomes, and challenges in implementation and evaluation. Contributions examining intersectionality, addressing the specific needs of vulnerable or marginalized groups, and leveraging technology to bridge cultural divides are particularly encouraged. This Special Issue will provide actionable insights and evidence-based practices to guide clinicians, educators, administrators, and policymakers in fostering truly equitable and patient-centered healthcare environments.

Dr. Zohra S. Lassi
Guest Editor

Dr. Mehwish Nisar
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • diversity and inclusion in healthcare
  • culturally responsive care
  • cross-cultural training
  • health equity and disparities
  • culturally tailored interventions
  • health workforce diversity
  • patient-centered care
  • social determinants of health
  • migrant and refugee health
  • patient–provider communication
  • health literacy and culture
  • linguistic diversity

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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