*What is Cultural Competency and how does it influence health and healthcare problems?
The videos located on the home page of this website help to introduce cultural competency. It is sometimes hard to separate the clear difference between culture and ethnicity, and this is true for many people. Culture can often times be confused with 'ethnicity', but culture is comprised of shared patterns of thought and behavior that define cultures which are also characteristic of groups distinguished by gender, age, religion, occupation, and others (Joralemon, 2009). Keep in mind that recognizing biomedicine as a foreign culture and that the assumptions that underlie its practice are as much in need of attention as are the beliefs of patients (Joralemon, 2009). Being cognizant that American medicine in itself is foreign to even fellow Americans is also such an important concept, especially for healthcare workers, who do not necessarily realize this.
Improving communication between health care workers and the people they serve requires all parties to the interaction to explore the assumptions that go into the explanations of diseases (Joralemon, 2009). Exploring how both the physician and the patient view disease in how it occurs, and how it is treated are all key elements in providing culturally competent care. It is also important that we look at our medical profession with a skeptic eye. Although many view American medicine as sublime, self-evaluation refection is a necessary component of tackling the cultural competency that some lack (Joralemon). Is it feasible that a physician be well versed in the 100 plus aboriginal cultures around him? The answer is simply No. Here is where we introduce cultural sensitivity. Knowing possibly the surface of many cultures, or even researching the culture as it is introduced. Investigating about the culture of a patient while they are at their office visit are all ways in which we can be more culturally competent (below is a short video illustrating cultural competency as well as cultural sensitivity).
Why is Cultural competency important? In America, it is known quite frequently as the melting pot. It is multifaceted with hundreds of cultures. Simple miscommunication between healthcare providers and patients have detrimental effects on the health of patients. In the book "The Spirit catches you and you fall down", written by Anne Fadiman, illustrates just this. This is a true story about a young Hmong family in Merced, California, whom had a young epileptic child. There was such lack of understanding between the Hmong parents and their daughter's providers that deleterious effects were resultant. The lack of understanding by the parents that the doctors were only out to help, the lack of understanding by the providers that all the medications prescribed were not only confusing but the side effects were troubling. The lack of understanding by the providers that Hmong, had never seen numerical symbols before and therefore prescribing medications with a time schedule was worthless, etc. There are multiple examples of the lack of culturally competent care in this book. In the end the child suffered from a seizure lasting two hours which resulted in her brain death. The issue became that culturally competency is key, especially in a country known to be a 'melting pot', it is our responsibility to provide this care.
The videos located on the home page of this website help to introduce cultural competency. It is sometimes hard to separate the clear difference between culture and ethnicity, and this is true for many people. Culture can often times be confused with 'ethnicity', but culture is comprised of shared patterns of thought and behavior that define cultures which are also characteristic of groups distinguished by gender, age, religion, occupation, and others (Joralemon, 2009). Keep in mind that recognizing biomedicine as a foreign culture and that the assumptions that underlie its practice are as much in need of attention as are the beliefs of patients (Joralemon, 2009). Being cognizant that American medicine in itself is foreign to even fellow Americans is also such an important concept, especially for healthcare workers, who do not necessarily realize this.
Improving communication between health care workers and the people they serve requires all parties to the interaction to explore the assumptions that go into the explanations of diseases (Joralemon, 2009). Exploring how both the physician and the patient view disease in how it occurs, and how it is treated are all key elements in providing culturally competent care. It is also important that we look at our medical profession with a skeptic eye. Although many view American medicine as sublime, self-evaluation refection is a necessary component of tackling the cultural competency that some lack (Joralemon). Is it feasible that a physician be well versed in the 100 plus aboriginal cultures around him? The answer is simply No. Here is where we introduce cultural sensitivity. Knowing possibly the surface of many cultures, or even researching the culture as it is introduced. Investigating about the culture of a patient while they are at their office visit are all ways in which we can be more culturally competent (below is a short video illustrating cultural competency as well as cultural sensitivity).
Why is Cultural competency important? In America, it is known quite frequently as the melting pot. It is multifaceted with hundreds of cultures. Simple miscommunication between healthcare providers and patients have detrimental effects on the health of patients. In the book "The Spirit catches you and you fall down", written by Anne Fadiman, illustrates just this. This is a true story about a young Hmong family in Merced, California, whom had a young epileptic child. There was such lack of understanding between the Hmong parents and their daughter's providers that deleterious effects were resultant. The lack of understanding by the parents that the doctors were only out to help, the lack of understanding by the providers that all the medications prescribed were not only confusing but the side effects were troubling. The lack of understanding by the providers that Hmong, had never seen numerical symbols before and therefore prescribing medications with a time schedule was worthless, etc. There are multiple examples of the lack of culturally competent care in this book. In the end the child suffered from a seizure lasting two hours which resulted in her brain death. The issue became that culturally competency is key, especially in a country known to be a 'melting pot', it is our responsibility to provide this care.
Video #3, provided by youtube.com Image #2 above.