Medicine in a Multicultural Society Flashcards
What is culture?
It is the learned and shared values of a particular group that guides: Thinking Actions Behaviours Emotional reactions to daily living
Give some examples of aspects of people’s lives which may be affected by their culture
Behaviour Diet Perceptions Family structure Attitudes to healthcare Body image Language Religion Beliefs Rituals Personal space Attitudes to illness Dress Emotions
What is cultural sensitivity?
The ability to be open to learning about and accepting of different cultural groups
What is multiculturalism?
The recognition and acknowledgement that society is pluralistic. In addition to the dominant culture, there exists many other cultures based around ethnicity, sexual orientation, geography, religion, gender and class.
What is cultural competence?
The understanding of diverse attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, practices and communication patterns attributable to a variety of factors (such as race, ethnicity, religion, SES, historical and social context, physical or mental ability, age, gender, sexual orientation, or generational and acculturation status).
What is the BELIEF model of cross cultural communication?
Beliefs about health (what caused your illness / problem?)
Explanation (why did it happen this time?)
Learn (help me to understand your belief / opinion)
Impact (how is this illness / problem impacting your life?)
Empathy (this must be very difficult for you)
Feelings (how are you feeling about it?)
Why is using family members to translate the least desirable option?
Error
Lack of knowledge
Biases
Selective communication
What are three ways in which culture negatively influences health care?
Misunderstandings in diagnosis or in treatment planning arising from differences in language or culture
Poor patient adherence with
treatments, and poor outcomes
Health care disparities
Give some examples of how healthcare disparities affect disease outcome
Death rates from lung cancer are higher in black men than white men
Ethnic minority women with breast cancer have poorer survival rates than white women, even with similar access to care
There are racial disparities in the utilisation of total joint replacement for knee osteoarthritis not explained by prevalence
Give some examples of how healthcare disparities affect disease prevalence
Rates of diabetes are over five times higher among Pakistani and Bangladeshi women than in the general population
All male minority groups (except the Chinese) have higher rates of heart attacks
Black Caribbean men have higher rates of stroke
What are the primary focuses of cultural competence in health care?
Eliminate misunderstandings in diagnosis or in treatment planning that may arise from differences in language or culture
Improve patient adherence with treatments
Eliminate health care disparities
