6 Health, Illness & Medicine in a Multicultural Israeli Society – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing major concepts, frameworks, policies and critiques related to cultural competency and health equity in Israel.

Cultural Competency

A set of behaviors, knowledge, attitudes and policies that enable effective work in cross-cultural situations.

Cultural Competency in Healthcare

The ability of health systems to adapt care to patients’ diverse social, cultural and linguistic needs, increasing access and reducing inequality.

Organizational Cultural Competency

Formal policies and practices (e.g., appointing a cultural-competency officer, community outreach, diverse hiring) that address minority needs within a health organization.

Betancourt’s Three Levels

Framework dividing cultural-competency actions into organizational, systemic and clinical tiers.

Organizational Level (Betancourt)

Ensuring diversity and appropriate representation of service recipients in leadership and staff.

Systemic Level (Betancourt)

Legislation, regulation, standardization, enforcement and full accessibility (e.g., interpretation services).

Clinical Level (Betancourt)

Provider education on cultural beliefs, communication styles, decision-making norms, gender roles, space/time concepts, etc.

Campinha-Bacote Model

Process-oriented model with five components—desire, awareness, skill, encounters and knowledge—for individual clinicians.

Cultural Desire

A genuine wish and moral commitment to become culturally competent.

Cultural Awareness

Self-reflection on one’s own culture, biases and ethnocentric tendencies.

Cultural Skill

Ability to collect culturally relevant patient data and perform culturally appropriate physical exams.

Cultural Encounters

Face-to-face interactions with diverse patients to reduce stereotypes based on limited exposure.

Cultural Knowledge

Continuous acquisition of foundational information about diverse cultural groups.

Director General Circular (2011/2013)

Israeli Ministry of Health directive on cultural and linguistic adaptation; took effect in 2013 without added budget or mandatory regulation.

Linguistic Accessibility

Availability of signs, interpretation and materials in multiple languages to facilitate patient understanding.

JCI Accreditation

International hospital accreditation whose standards include elements of cultural competency; correlated with higher competency scores in Israel.

Essentialism

Belief that members of a group share a fixed, narrowly defined essence; criticized for oversimplifying culture.

Structural Competency

Concept focusing on how social, economic and political structures—not just culture—produce health disparities.

Intersectionality

Theory examining how overlapping marginalized identities (e.g., gender, class, race) create unique, compounded disadvantages.

Health Equity by Eliminating Racism

Israeli guideline set (Grotto et al., 2018) outlining prevention, identification and response to racism in the health system.

Maternity-Ward Segregation

Practice of separating patients by ethnicity; subject to monitoring, staff training and clear procedures to ensure equality.

Depo-Provera Controversy

Historical over-prescription of long-acting contraception to Ethiopian-Israeli women; current guidelines seek redress and trust-building.

Blood-Donation Policy (Ethiopian-Israeli)

Revised rules and collaborative efforts to address past discriminatory blood-donation restrictions.

Scalp Ringworm Radiation (Gazezet)

Historical treatment causing harm; current initiatives aim for recognition and acknowledgment of systemic involvement.

Yemenite, Mizrahi & Balkan Children Affair

Investigation into historical disappearance/adoption of children; includes examining healthcare system’s role.

Non-Governmental Health Portals

Websites like Santé Israël and Tene Briut that provide culturally adapted medical information in multiple languages.

Cultural Competency Barriers

Budget constraints, absent work plans, limited staff time, lack of designated officers and low staff awareness hindering progress.

Interpretation Services

Professional language support considered essential for full accessibility and cultural adaptation in healthcare.

Sensitive Areas Redesign

Physical/organizational changes (e.g., EDs, maternity wards) to foster equitable, culturally safe environments.

Marginalized Groups

Populations experiencing social exclusion (e.g., ethnic minorities, low-SES women) with documented health disadvantages.