2011 Annual Conference

Okere, Suzanna PT, ATC

The purpose of this study was to document the internal consistency and test re-test reliability of the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals – Student Version (IAPCC-SV) for student physical therapists.  In addition, the effect of a cultural competence education module on the cultural competence of student physical therapists as measured by the IAPCC-SV was documented.

Thirty-nine student physical therapists in the first semester of their physical therapist education participated in this study.

The Texas State University-San Marcos and Texas Woman’s University Institutional Review Boards approved this study and all participants gave informed consent prior to participating in the study.  Participants completed the IAPCC-SV, Time 1 (test), and again the following week, Time 2 (re-test/pre-test) prior to any cultural competence education.  Subjects then participated in a cultural competence education module based upon the Campinha-Bacote model of cultural competence.  The module included both lecture instruction and group discussion of patient case studies.  Upon completion of the module, participants completed the IAPCC-SV, Time 3 (post-test).

Internal consistency of the Time 1 scores was calculated using Cronbach’s Alpha. Test re-test reliability was calculated using an ICC (2,1) for the Time 1 (test) and Time 2 (re-test/pre-test) scores.  A two-tailed paired samples t test was used to measure the change in IAPCC-SV scores from Time 2 (re-test/pre-test) to Time 3 (post-test).  The effect size was also calculated.

The IAPCC-SV demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = .75) and good test-re-test reliability (ICC (2,1) = .87).  The IAPCC-SV score increased following participation in the cultural competence learning module (Time 2, 58.44 +/- 6.08 versus Time 3, 64.95 +/- 7.25, t(38)=8.205, (p<.001)). The effect size was .977. 

This study provides preliminary support for the use of the IAPCC-SV to measure the cultural competence of student physical therapists.  In addition, this pilot study provides preliminary evidence that a cultural competence education module may assist with improving student physical therapists’ cultural competence. 

The results of this study can be utilized to design future studies that incorporate an experimental research design, to document the effects of a cultural competence education module on the cultural competence of student physical therapists.