Cultural Competency in Health Care? Case studies ? Discussion Topic After reading our very interesting chapter this week (chapter 9), I would like you to describe at least

Chapter 9: Case Studies

Learning objectives:

After the end of this chapter you should be able to

•   Discuss scenarios in which culturally competent actions were or were not taken by various types of health professionals.

•   Explain specific culturally competent steps that should be taken by healthcare professionals to increase the chances that a patient will return to a given facility, based on the case studies discussed in this chapter.

•   Express potential communication problems that may arise between the patient and health professional due to linguistic competency issues.

•   Describe at least three distinct culturally specific details about at least three cultures described in the following case studies.

Healthcare professionals provide services to individuals who are not members of the mainstream American society and that have different ways of viewing and understanding what may be considered routine processes related to their care.

Concerns that may arise:

· language issues

· the need for family involvement

· a lack of understanding of what is permissible or not permissible in another’s culture.

See our e-book for detailed cases and explanations for :

•   Dental hygienists

•   Physical therapists

•   Occupational therapists

•   Speech-language therapists

•   Pharmacists

•   Radiology technicians

•   Emergency medical technicians

•   Medical records technicians

•   Physician assistants

•   Medical assistants

•   Nurses

•   Dentists

Cultural nuances

A key aspect of cultural competence is recognizing cultural nuances, which are the subtle differences between particular cultures. Subtleties of individual cultures define a people’s view of themselves and the perception of the world around them. By understanding these nuances, better interaction can be achieved in terms of culture and communication. For example, a cultural nuance specific to the Japanese population is the removal of one’s shoes upon entering a home. This is a very strict requirement among many Japanese people, requiring the use of provided slippers prior to walking on the floors of their homes. Nonadherence to this requirement is considered rude, inappropriate, and unhygienic.

As another example, in certain sects of the Muslim community, women are mostly covered and can reveal only certain body parts, usually their faces (in some instances, limited to their eyes, hands, and feet), when in public in an effort to maintain modesty, respect, and privacy for the women per their religious scripture, the Koran. Consequently, when a Muslim woman is cared for by a male physician, it is often required that a female relative be present for any examination of the patient. The best approach is for the woman to be seen by a female practitioner to avoid violation of the modesty requirement (Hollins, 2006). This cultural nuance requires sensitivity, understanding, and adherence to the requirement in order to maintain female Muslim patients/clients/customers and ensure respect and dignity for their culture.

As a final example, people from Spain find stretching and yawning to be very bad manners and in poor taste. They are also very casual about keeping appointments (Graff, 2001). Keeping these nuances in mind is important so as not to insult them by yawning or stretching in their presence or being overly upset if they miss an appointment, but rather explaining the impact of their doing so in terms of scheduling. Awareness of cultural nuances over a broad base of cultures, races, and ethnicities will optimize the provision of services for individuals.