Cultural Awareness In Health Care

Physicians are expected to use an unbiased, medical perspective to provide effective, personalized treatment for their patients. Increasingly, the modern standard of medicine, and thus patient satisfaction, is moving toward cultural sensitivity of medical practitioners, as demonstrated by the clam that “Cultural identity…demand[s] explicit recognition in health care,” (Kirmayer). In fact, physicians are being accused of delivering deficient medical advice as a result of cultural insensitivity. Disease and its treatment are certainly multifaceted issues, subject to genetic predisposal, interventional science, and cultural environment, however, the definition of a medical doctor is “to strengthen the internal defensive power and power of adaptation of each individual person and enable him to fight the environmental insults…” (Tsuei). And thus a comprehensive understanding of cultural identity is not necessary to be a competent, socially sensitive, physician.

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And it is undoubtedly important that a patient’s preferences be respected. Doctors should be patient and understanding, willing to spend time and problem solve such that communication can bridge cultural gaps. In this case, not only is cultural awareness not an issue, but there will be no accidental stereotyping, cultural imposition, or segregation. The definition of a physician is to provide quality care, tailored to the unique needs of the individual. Thus, the very cultural unawareness with which Western medicine is negatively charged, is designed such that the outcome of no patient ever be