While Fadiman reflectively observes the mistakes, misunderstandings, and misdiagnoses made in the subsequent chapters, the omnipotent reader can foolishly believe that such mistakes are easily avoided and can be attributed to the closed-minded medicine of days-gone-by. It is, instead, the perseverance of issues of communication across the exam table that stand as a topic of much debate, frequent research, and frustration. It is not only the clashing of cultures, but that of classes, sexes, and beliefs that often separate the medical provider from their patients. Breakdowns in communication can manifest themselves in poor outcomes, but more often manifest as the classic patient complaint, “I was more confused when I left the exam room, than when I walked in.” In ‘A Strategy to Reduce Cross-cultural Miscommunication and Increase the Likelihood of Improving Health Outcomes’, Kagawa-Singer and Kassim-Lakha write that, “Culture is fundamental to the development and management of disease in every population, for its purpose is to teach its members what to do to survive, how to do it, and why they should persevere in the face of adversity.…
General Info. - Lack of Cultural Competency can lead to: language barriers, dissatisfaction in patient treatment, preventing the patient to return for further health health care, prevent use of a regular doctor. The United States is known for its collection of cultures, yet many medical treatments and procedures…
Through taking the Quality and Culture Quiz, I learned that I am not as culturally sensitive or aware of the customs and beliefs of other cultures as I previously believed I was. Additionally, I learned that a deficit in cultural competence can affect not only relationships with patients, but also “impede the process of making an accurate diagnosis, cause the provider to order contraindicated medication, and reduce adherence with recommended treatment” (Quality and Culture Quiz, n.d., pp. 1). While two of my grandparents immigrated to America from other countries, my family has adopted the Western lifestyle and associated with traditions, beliefs and values that represent the Western culture.…
Cultural misunderstanding is experienced most of the time when it comes to the relationship we have with our physicians. The biggest concern is how physicians can accept that everyone is made up differently and culture determines most of that. Knowing and engaging the patient will help build a great therapeutic relationship. If Lia’s parents had gotten an interpreter would the situation have been different?…
With the ever changing health care reform, it is important to consider what culturally diverse means. Cultural diversity in the workplace occurs when a company hires employees from a variety of backgrounds, race, gender, age, or religion. FHCC has recently opened a new facility in a neighborhood that is culturally diverse. FHCC is experiencing low patient influx due to the fact that there is a lack of cultural diversity of among the staff. Some of the factors affecting the patient influx include: a. Language barriers: Miscommunication in the healthcare sector can be life-threatening.…
Communication in healthcare is a key component to treating illness and receiving adequate care. If the patient and healthcare professional are unable to communicate effectively then the patient will not be receiving the care that they need and the healthcare professional will not be doing their job in the best way possible. There are many different obstacles that need to be overcome when dealing with different cultures. One of these boundaries is language. As a patient it is difficult to tell the doctor what is going on and what they need.…
With that, it's very important that health care professionals are careful not to be cultural blind, as this makes…
Caring for diverse patients is sometimes frustrating. Not only is it a challenge to care for them, but it is also a challenge for us because we have to be able to change our way of thinking and learn to listen to our diverse patients and respect their culture. The purpose of this paper is to explain the components of a comprehensive cultural assessment, preparing a care plan for a culturally diverse patient with a new diagnosis, along choosing two components and reflect on my culture along with how it impacts my attitude toward those aspects of providing care. Comprehensive Cultural Assessment Components When assessing a patient that immigrated to the United States, it is important to know and understand that the patients bring with them their customs,…
Perhaps a Hispanic patient wont understand how to take their medication correctly. Language barrier can affect the extent to which a patient is compliant with their healthcare treatments. Language is a very important part in the relationship between a patient and a doctor (Maffini et al., 2011). Avila and Bramlett (2013) concluded that health care facilities should provide care in many languages and make more of an effort to reach Spanish-speaking Hispanics. Another manner to conquer this hurdle with the Hispanic community is to have health care providers that speak Spanish (Durham and Pollard, 2010).…
How did you relate to the readings, videos and forum discussions? I related to the readings about cultural and linguistic competence as a future health care provider. I saw how my knowledge of these topics could affect the care and well being of real people. One hypothetical that struck me was about a nurse practitioner choosing a cheaper and less effective medication for a black patient. The nurse had done this with the well-meaning intention of saving a poor person from the bills that come with a higher level of health care, not realizing that the patient was of a high socioeconomic status (Hall and Fields).…
Healthcare disparities exist among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. It 's a basic human right to receive the highest quality of care regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, and the level of treatment or quality of care people receive should not be determined by their race or ethnicity. Although people are aware of this, yet not everyone gets the same quality of care or treatment in the U.S. The United States spends more money on healthcare delivery than most developed countries, and yet the quality of healthcare is lower than most of the developed countries due to healthcare disparities among racial/ethnic minorities (Lavizzo-Mourey, R., 2008). Racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to disproportionately suffer from healthcare…
Alvord’s methods for demonstrating cultural competence are powerful and effective. They aim to treat patients to lead a balanced life, as respect for cultural differences aids in preventing an imbalance among the mind, body, and soul (Alvord & Van Pelt, 2000). In our progressively diverse society, reduction of ethnocentric thinking could vastly improve public health, as patients would be treated as the unique individuals they are. In implementing effective communication, providers can utilize active listening to learn more about the cultural desires and boundaries of the patient. Providers can subsequently show respect for the culture and build the trust of the patient.…
Eradicating or diminishing thoughts of superiority because of the cultural and educational gaps between healthcare providers their patient’s is necessary when aiming for patient centered care. Approaching patients with opposing cultural views with an open mind and a sense of equality rather than that of superiority can make patients feel more welcome and willing to accept recommendations even when such recommendations go against their beliefs. In addition, building the skills necessary to have the ability to explain and communicate differently in a way that is easy to comprehend depending on the audience (i.e., a child or someone who does not speak the language) is something that all healthcare providers should aim for. By integrating such practices in the healthcare environment, nurses along with other healthcare providers have the potential to make all care patient centered and patient…
Cultural Diversity and Its Influence on Nursing Practice Cultural Diversity is a key component to quality patient centered care. The Nurse needs to be aware of their own cultural attitudes. It is also very import that as nurses we understand the patient’s cultural preferences and needs. Cultural competence is becoming more important because of the increase in cultural diversity in our country. In the United States 13% of our population was not born in this country and another 8-10million are living here without documentation.…
When a clinician treats across a cultural, age, sex, ethnicity and language barrier they must communicate effectively. This can only come from familiarity, and experience with people from other cultures. I grew up speaking Polish at home and summers living in Poland with relatives. I have also spent time abroad including 11 weeks of homestays between Guatemala, China, Mexico and India. I have lived with roommates from the Phillipines, Texas, Germany and North Philadelphia.…