This is the first of a series of learning modules that focus on case histories, skills, and clinical applications. In this introductory segment, we provide explanations for the importance of cultural competence in health care, including data on the realities of diversity, health disparities and discrimination in America. We offer a historical case study examining the long-term consequences of cultural abuse in medical care, and frame this background information with a structure for thinking about culture and how it works in a medical practice.
The series emphasizes these clinical skills and case applications:
- How to understand a patient’s way of thinking about health and illness (this module),
- How to set the stage for meaningful and respectful care,
- How to initiate clinical encounters in a healthcare setting
- How to assess a patient's situation with attention to cultural values
- Ways to perform physical examinations, approach treatment options, and follow up with patients
- Recognition that the meaning of suffering and pain management differs between cultures
- Preparation for end-of-life decision-making issues among individuals of cultures differing from your own.
We invite you to keep an electronic journal about your own experiences as you go through the course. Use it to reflect on your sense of culture, and how it changes as you learn. You will have opportunities to test your knowledge and try your hand at case applications, and you will be given printable guides to resources and professional guidelines.
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