The Impact of cultural competence and cultural distance on healthcare quality and patient satisfaction

Healthcare sectors in many countries are challenged by the growing cultural diversity and the issues that are raised during interpersonal interactions between patients and clinicians from different cultural backgrounds. This research paper proposes a framework for effective intercultural service encounters in the healthcare context following an extensive literature review. Based on patient perspective, this framework illustrates how patient-provider cultural distance and providers' cultural competence influence quality of care and patient satisfaction in a culturally diverse service environment. The model provides a theoretical guide for the provision of equity and high-quality care for different cohorts of clients and it shows the efficacy of cross-cultural competence for enhancing patients' satisfaction in multicultural societies.