Medicine in a Multi-cultural 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
It is the sum of beliefs, practices, habits, likes and dislikes.
It is norms and customs that are learned.
Culture is a filter through which people process their experiences and events of their lives. It influences people’s values, actions, and expectations of themselves.
It impacts people’s perceptions and expectations of others.
How does culture affect the delivery of healthcare?
It influences patients’ healthcare beliefs, practices attitudes toward care, and trust in the system and in the individual providers.
Cultural differences affect how health information and healthcare services are received, understood and acted upon.
What are the main things to consider in culture?
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 (differences)
Healthcare disparities - 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 utilization of total joint replacement for knee osteoarthritis not explained by prevalence
Healthcare disparity - Disease prevalence
Rates of diabetes over five times higher among Pakistani and Bangladeshi women than in the general population
All male minority groups (except the Chinese) higher rates of heart attacks
Black Caribbean men higher rates of stroke
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).
The ongoing capacity of healthcare systems, organisations and professionals to provide for diverse patient populations high quality care that is safe, patient- and family- centered, evidence-based, and equitable
What is cultural competency?
The process of gaining depth and understanding of subject positions and cultures other than your own (is the process of gaining various degrees of cultural competency)
How do we acquire cultural competence?
Be sensitive to language barriers
Consider body language
Gender / wealth / disability / sexual orientation
Religious factors
What is the impact of cultural competency?
1) More successful patient education
2) Increases patients health care seeking behaviour
3) More appropriate testing ad screening
4) Fewer diagnostic errors
5) Avoidance of drug complications
6) Greater adherence to medical advice
7) Expanded choices and access to high-quality clinicians
How do we gain cultural competency?
LEARN model
What is the LEARN model?
Listen to the patient’s perception of the problem
Explain your perception of the problem
Acknowledge and discuss
differences/similarities
Recommend treatment
Negotiate treatment
How do people from different cultures differ?
In their perceptions of illness and treatment
How they interact with healthcare professionals - for example, ethnic groups may not benefit equally from specialist nurse intervention
How they communicate their fears and needs
