This week you will prepare for your ethical and cultural inquiry. Consider how culture can impact healthcare decisions and outcomes. Read the following article from the Western Journal of Medicine, Galanti G. A. (2000). An introduction to cultural differences. The Western journal of medicine, 172(5), 335–336. doi:10.1136/ewjm.172.5.335.

Discuss the following:

1. Do you agree with the writer’s premise that treating patients with respect is not enough, but that it is necessary to learn about the specific customs of other cultures in order to provide quality health care? Explain your reasoning and provide examples.

2. Do you think there is a danger in stereotyping when discussing cultural norms? Explain and provide examples.

3. Which cultures and customs are you most familiar with?

4. Does culture play a significant role in the healthcare issue that you are researching? Explain.

In your replies to peers, share your views and your knowledge about different cultural beliefs associated with healthcare.

comment 1

1. Do you agree with the writer’s premise that treating patients with respect is not enough, and it is necessary to learn about the specific customs of other cultures in order to provide quality health care? Explain your reasoning and provide examples.

I do agree with the writer’s premise, treating patients with respect is not enough. It should be necessary to learn about the specific customs of other cultures in order to provide quality health care. It is best to have proper communication with the patient and the patient’s family to provide appropriate and respectful care. As I read the article, there was a section where the author mentioned that in certain cultures revealing a poor prognosis to the patient prior to telling the family can be frowned upon. A situation exactly like this happened to a family member of mine. My aunt was diagnosed with cancer and after surgery to see what could be removed she was given the news that she only had about 3 months to live, due to her extremities. My family was very upset that they gave her the news without speaking to them first. They blamed this situation for her death, as she lost hope and only lived 3 weeks after receiving the news.

2. Do you think there is a danger in stereotyping when discussing cultural norms? Explain and provide examples.

I do believe there is a danger in stereotyping when discussing cultural norms. People never want to feel judged especially in a place where they go to seek medical care. It is fearful enough to be in a hospital and have to deal with health issues. If a healthcare provider were to stereotype an illness based on the gender and cultural forms of the patient, that patient would feel disrespected and discouraged to seek help. An example for this would be how in the hispanic culture due to our lifestyles we are automatically presumed to have illnesses involving our weight, therefore people within this culture feel the need to withhold information in fear of being judged. As well as asking about home remedies and other forms of treatment, hispanic cultures feel that medical providers don’t understand these customs and therefore dismiss them.

3. Which cultures and customs are you most familiar with?

I am mostly familiar with the hispanic culture. I was raised catholic and it is normal for my family to pray the rosary, especially for family members who are sick and those admitted in hospitals. It is common for family members to gather a group and create a prayer chain for the patient who is ill. This gives a sense of peace to the patient, knowing they are being prayed for gives them a sense of hope and comfort.

4. Does culture play a significant role in the healthcare issue that you are researching? Explain.

Culture definitely plays a role in my topic of ADHD. There is research on children of certain age, gender and ethnicity that are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis. For example, in certain cultures they don’t believe their child has ADHD due to how certain behaviors are too vague to diagnose. As well as certain cultures believing that a child does have ADHD, due to these behaviors being too extreme and out of their norm. Treatment for ADHD is another issue cultures and customs strongly affect, as medication can strongly affect a child.

Reference

Galanti G. A. (2000). An introduction to cultural differences. The Western journal of medicine, 172(5), 335–336. https://doi.org/10.1136/ewjm.172.5.335

comment 2

1. Do you agree with the writer’s premise that treating patients with respect is not enough, and it is necessary to learn aboutthe specific customs of other cultures in order to provide quality health care? Explain your reasoning and provide examples.

I agree with the writer’s premise that treating patients with respect is not enough. Not everyone shares the same culture especially here in the U.S. where the society is very diverse. For instance, a patient who is a Muslim can’t have any food that contains pork because it goes against their religion and culture. Accommodating their preference especially if it’s something important to them can provide quality care. it shows that you just don’t respect them, but you also listen and do care about them. It also a way to build a strong rapport with the patient. It is important to learn about other cultures to know how to deal with or approach them in order to give them quality care.

2. Do you think there is a danger in stereotyping when discussing cultural norms? Explain and provide examples.

I do believe that stereotyping can be dangerous particularly when talking about cultural norms because you are not only disrespecting an individual but you are disrespecting the whole culture. For example, the stereotype that all Filipinos are nurses, while it is true that many Filipinos work in healthcare or are nurses, it is not true that everyone is a nurse. There are other Filipinos who also thrive outside the medical field

3. Which cultures and customs are you most familiar with?

I am very familiar with Filipino culture and customs. Most Filipinos are Catholic and every November 1^st we celebrate All Saints day or “undas” as us Filipinos call it. It is a day to remember those who passed. Traditionally, we visit the tombs/graves of our deceased family and offer prayer. Some people even bring food, drinks, play music and cards at the grave.

4. Does culture play a significant role in the healthcare issue that you are researching? Explain.

My research is about social media and culture plays a role in this topic when it comes to parenting. All parents want the best for their child no matter what culture they are from but not every parent has the same technique on how to raise their child. Some cultures are more strict when it comes to disciplining their children while others are more relaxed.