The notion of “cultural competency” in healthcare has gained currency in recent years.
Health professionals are expected to be sensitive to the cultural backgrounds and language of their
patients. Courses on cultural competency are now routinely offered to physicians, nurses, and others working in health fields. Although the rhetoric of cultural competency has been applied to
clinical contexts, little attention has been given to its applicability in health research generally or,
more specifically, in international health research. This paper explores the relevance and
limitations of cultural competency for informed consent to international health research,
particularly in the context of low‐resource settings. PMID: 18312735