Abstract
Objective: To study the cultural competency among hospital pharmacists, under the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. The findings would serve as an input for cultural competency development plans for Thai pharmacists. Method: The researchers used the online Thai Pharmacists’ Cultural Competency Self-Assessment Scale (TPCCS) developed by the researchers to perform a cross-sectional survey to hospital pharmacists under the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health Thailand. Stratified sampling was carried out based on the health service region and the size of the facility. Between March and August 2021, 241 pharmacists responded to the survey (response rate 31.26%). The TPCCS had 16 factors, 92 questions and 5 cultural competency dimensions: 1. cultural awareness, 2. cultural skills, 3. cultural knowledge, 4. cultural encounter, and 5. cultural desire. On a 5-point Likert scale, pharmacists were asked to rate their ability to practice. Results: Thai hospital pharmacists had a moderate level of cultural competency. On the full scale of 5, the mean values for each dimension ranged from 2.39 to 4.24. On average, they had low scores on some cultural awareness dimension. They had the highest score on cultural desire. Conclusion: There was a need to improve pharmacists’ cultural competency, particularly in terms of cultural awareness. A strong desire for cultural competency may be an excellent foundation for continuing growth.
