Abstract
In culturally diverse and resource-constrained public healthcare settings, interpersonal dynamics and cultural understanding substantially influence therapeutic outcomes and patient evaluations of care. This study examined the implementation of a targeted Cultural Competence Training (CCT) program for healthcare professionals and evaluated its direct effect on patient satisfaction within three public tertiary hospitals in Cebu, Philippines. Utilizing a quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention design coupled with mixed-methods evaluation, 140 healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, and administrative staff) underwent a six-week modular training curriculum centered on regional ethnomedical beliefs, linguistic accommodation in Cebuano, and socio-relational empathy. Concurrently, patient satisfaction was evaluated among 520 patients across baseline and post-intervention phases using an adapted Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) instrument. Quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvements across all core dimensions of patient satisfaction, with the most pronounced increases observed in provider communication clarity (mean score increase from 3.12 to 4.41 on a 5-point Likert scale, p < 0.001) and perceived cultural respect (from 2.94 to 4.38, p < 0.001). Qualitative exit interviews highlighted that patients felt more validated regarding indigenous health beliefs and experienced reduced clinical intimidation. These findings demonstrate that systematic cultural competence development serves as an effective, low-cost operational intervention to bridge patient-provider relational gaps, optimize perceived quality of care, and advance equity in regional public health systems.
