Culture+and+Health+Care Reaction+Paper+1

7/30/2019 Culture+and+Health+Care Reaction+Paper+1

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Running head: CULTURE AND HEALTH CARE 1

Influence of Culture on Health Care: A Reaction Paper

Assignment 1

SSCI412: Social Sciences & Medicine

Janeel Cowan

St Georges University

February 11th, 2013


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CULTURE AND HEALTH CARE

The influence, potential implication and integration of culture in health care

A pregnant Spanish woman here vacationing in Grenada is rushed to the General

Hospital because of premature bleeding. The doctor on site makes the call to deliver the baby

by emergency caesarean section. However, the woman as well as her husband has a limited

English proficiency. What is the doctor to do since he cannot get informed consent?

In a world where globalization is on the rise as well as the increasing popularity of St.

Georges University, Grenada is now becoming a very diverse and multicultural island. As

such practicing physicians will sooner or later be faced with a similar situation. But how do

clinicians and medical professionals deal with a multicultural society?

A patients culture plays a pivotal role in the quality and effectiveness of health care

that is provided (Scott et al, 2003). According to Jones et al. (2003), culture refers to shared

beliefs, norms, language, traditions, customs, and attitudes of a specific social community or

groups. Consequently for physicians to efficiently treat patients, they need to understand the

influence and potential implications that language, alternative medicine and the use of

unconventional sources of health care in particular have on the delivery of health care (Jones

& Genao, 2003). This knowledge gained can then be integrated to improve patient care by

incorporating language-learning skills and techniques, acknowledging that there are

differences in culture and traditions and strengthening doctor patient-relationships (Chow,

2012).

First, language and communication barriers are important aspects of culture that can

be very detrimental to the proper delivery of health care. As such, medical professionals are

many times burdened with the dual role of being physician as well as translator. In the case

described, the patients native language was Spanish, however with the doctor unable to

describe the risks and benefits of the caesarean section the patients autonomy was

compromised. The lack of translation may lead to a fatal ending or even a lawsuit against the

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attending physician. In times like these, culture plays an important role if physicians are to

provide individualistic patient care (Scott et al., 2003 & Jones et al., 2003).

Moreover, the use of alternative medicine versus modern medicine is another cultural

dilemma plaguing physicians practicing in Grenada and by extension the Caribbean. With

more and more of the society becoming health conscious, many persons are using natural,

herbal alternatives to treat diseases and ailments. But there are disadvantages to the national

health care system with regards to this since many of the alternative treatment options are

understudied and inadequately researched. As a result, clinicians are unaware of the possible

counteracting side effects that these herbs have when taken with the conventional medications

they prescribe. It is more evident now that doctors need to explore and understand the

different uses of herbal medicines (Jones et al., 2003).

In addition to the increasing use of alternative medications, many patients are now

opting to use doctors offices and hospitals as a last resort for treatment. Instead they are

seeking treatment and diagnosis from other non-medical sources including family, friends,

herbalists, village elders, holistic treatment centers and even the worldwide web. Doctors

must recognize that modern-day patients are more involved in their own treatment and

recovery process than in times gone. As such, many patients will be often self- diagnosed and

self- taught before they even enter a doctors office (Jones et al., 2003).

Thus, in order to provide individual patient care to a more culturally diverse Grenada,

doctors need to become more culturally competent. Firstly, this can be achieved by

integrating language-learning skills in order to eradicate communication barriers. Medically

relevant linguistic literature and language-learning software are simple tools doctors can

utilize on a daily basis. Medical professionals need not to be fluent in ten different languages,

it is just important that they at least learn how to say hello. The wealth of knowledge about

different languages should be left to professional translators who could be employed by

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Grenada health care system to bridge the language gap (Chow, 2012 & Jones et al., 2003).

According to Chow (2012) exposing oneself to learn about the different cultures and

traditions present in the Grenadian society allows doctors to efficiently and effectively

provide an individualistic type of medical service to patients. A simple acknowledgement of a

persons traditions and values will allow doctors to be receptive to learning about health

issues plaguing a patients native land while simultaneously, appreciating the fact that you are

not an expert in their culture and still have room for growth and development. For example a

doctor that is well researched on his Spanish patient will know that Mexico and Central and

South America have a high prevalence if tuberculosis.

Finally, the implementation of communication skills and embracing cultural diversity

gives doctors the ability to improve the doctor-patient bond. Once a strong relationship is

established clinicians will be easily able to read their patients body language or even a lack

of response to determine their feelings on a particular treatment. This doctor-patient rapport

builds a patients confidence in the doctor and so they would be able to share contradictory

traditions and values without the fear of being judged or victimized (Scott et al., 2003).

In closing, it is imperative that doctors must not only use the biomedicine learned in

medical school to treat patients. But, also integrate a patients cultural backgrounds and value

systems such as language, traditional medicine, and utilizing alternative health care providers

in order to provide a high standard of patient care. This can be easily achieved by including

language and communication teaching aids, accepting cultural traditions, and building an

honest doctor-patient rapport.

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References

Chow, H. S. (2012, May 25). Six keys to practicing multicultural medicine.Medical Economics, 36,

38.

Jones, J. B., & Inginia Genao, I. (2003). Impact of culture on health care.Journal of the

National Medical Association 95(8), 732-735.

Scott, T., Mannion, R., Davies, H. T., & Marshall, M. N. (2003). Implementing culture change in

health care: theory and practice.International Journal for Quality Health Care 15(2),

111-118. doi:10.1093/intqhc/mzg021.

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