The New York Times ran an article earlier this week about racial disparities in health care. One finding of the study was that racial disparities in care may not be so much the result of overt racism, but rather failing to take into consideration cultural contexts when making recommendations and treatment plans for patients. It is not a matter of patients being treated unequally, but of all patients being treated the same. One example given was that advising black or Latino diabetic patients to cut their carbohydrate intake may not be a realistic strategy if rice is a family food staple.
This finding that physicians sometimes fail to consider a patient's culture points to the necessity of open communication between physician and patient. In these cases, it may be necessary for the physician to take the initiative: ask questions, ask them more than once and in more than one way. Make the effort to learn about the patient's culture and social situation. Listening is an important aspect in providing quality health care. Clearly, cookie cutter medicine doesn't work for everyone.
You can find the NYT article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/health/10study.html?ex=1370836800&en=eba66169c1ce3fab&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
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So I haven't commented in awhile, and I don't have anything particular to say in response to this specific post, but I did want to say that I love reading your posts. They always make me stop and go, "Huh. Never thought about that." They make me think. I love that. You really shoud get a Thinking Blogger Award! Maybe I'll give you one from mine. :)
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