Cultural Responsiveness in Practice

March 4, 2025

I’m excited to introduce a new monthly blog series, Cultural Responsiveness, developed in partnership between VSP Vision and Latinos en Optometry. This collaboration aims to foster a deeper understanding among both current and aspiring optometry professionals about the importance of delivering care that respects the cultural identity of their patients, acknowledges the socio-economic make-up of those seeking care, and ensures care management is taking place in an inclusive environment.

Cultural Responsiveness is embedded in our values at VSP Vision. One of our co-founders, Dr. Marvin R. Poston was the first Black optometrist to practice on the West Coast. A graduate of the UC-Berkeley School of Optometry, Dr. Poston overcame significant barriers in his 40-years of clinical practice. However, he was not deterred from serving the communities in which he worked and resided with culturally responsive care, while simultaneously encouraging and mentoring those who wished to follow in his footsteps. It is in that spirit that we are committed to respecting all of the cultural identities and experiences that make-up our diverse population of VSP Vision Care members across the country.

One key element of Cultural Responsiveness is cultural competence. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), cultural competence is “a dynamic and complex process requiring ongoing self-assessment, continuous cultural education, openness to others’ values and beliefs, and willingness to share one’s own values and beliefs.”

Cultural competence is an asset across many areas of life, and it’s a professional necessity for optometrists and all practice staff. As healthcare providers, cultural competence helps clinicians and practice owners respond to demographic diversity in their own patient populations, understand and respond to social determinants of health or health disparities, and ensure high quality engagement with patients.

Most importantly, Cultural Responsiveness and competence drive trust between doctors and patients. Everybody wants to feel respected and heard in their interactions with medical professionals, so by creating a climate of Cultural Responsiveness, you can put patients at ease and build their trust. When patients trust you, they are more likely to view their eye care provider as a partner in their holistic care. This inclusive-centered care can encourage patients to  include annual eye exams as part of their healthcare journey. Furthermore, this patient-provider partnership can promote adhereance to prescribed and recommended medications and treatments and candid conversations about vision correction options that meet a patient’s unique vision care needs. This positive healthcare experience, when shared among a patient’s community, may persuade others to seek preventative care, such as visiting an eye doctor.

Striving to be culturally responsive is an antidote to stereotyping, where biases might lead to assumptions about a patient’s cultural and socio-economic background and obstruct your ability to serve their eye care needs. Practice owners or practice managers set the tone for Cultural Responsiveness. By placing emphasis on Cultural Responsiveness, and aligning those values with how your practice operates, you can create a welcoming environment for both patients and staff.

Here are three steps you can take to be more culturally responsive and competent to the needs of your patients:

• Be humble. Cultural humility demands that we constantly examine our own beliefs and identities, and be honest with ourselves as to whether those beliefs get in the way, or help us to better understand others.
• Consider taking a course on cultural competence. Many organizations and companies, including VSP Vision, offer continuing education (CE) courses on this topic. VSP Premier Edge Providers can visit the Provider Hub to learn more.
• Engage your staff in a brainstorming session.  How well are you serving patients who require translation services? Can a wheelchair-bound patient access your practice easily?  Do patients with lower socio-economic status feel respected in your practice? Are you taking time with patients before and after their eye exam to help them make the best choices for their unique lifestyles? Creating space to brainstorm with your staff may raise attention to opportunities you aren’t even aware of, and lead to creative solutions to benefit the practice and your patients.

For more information:

Marvin Davenport is Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at VSP Vision and serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Equity Network Council and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers Community Council.

Disclosure: Mr. Davenport is an employee of VSP Vision.

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