Cultural competence of measurement scales of menopausal symptoms: use in research among Korean women

Even though there are advancements in research related to culturally competent care, there is an increasing realization that coherent theories and a research base to guide health care that is culturally competent is yet to be fully developed. In this paper, cultural competence of the scales measuring menopausal symptoms are critically analyzed in light of their limitations for Korean women — a population other than for whom it was developed. The analyses indicate that there are issues of contextuality, relevance, communication style, authenticity, power relationships and time constraints.