Clinicians who are not aware of their own cultural biases may unconsciously impose their cultural values on other people. A direct approach helps establish mutual respect and tailor the best and most appropriate care for each patient.Īwareness of one’s own culture is an important step towards awareness of, and sensitivity to, the culture and ethnicity of other people. “Culturally competent communication leaves our patients feeling that their concerns were understood, a trusting relationship was formed and, above all, that they were treated with respect.” While a clinician will often be unfamiliar with the culture of a particular patient, the direct approach is often the best: ask the patient what you need to understand about her culture and background in order to be able to help her. Culturally competent clinicians acknowledge differences but do not feel threatened by them.
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The clinician must become culturally aware and sensitive, then culturally competent so that she or he can practice in a manner that is culturally safe.Ĭultural competency in medical practice requires that the clinician respects and appreciates diversity in society. We all perceive others through the filter or perspective of our own cultural upbringing, often without being aware of it: communication can go wrong without our understanding why. In many subtle ways, the cultural identities of both doctor and patient affect their interaction, and in a diverse country this can form an exciting challenge. It is important that we are all aware of our own cultural influences and how these may affect our perceptions of others, especially in the doctor-patient encounter.
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Within the intermixing of modern society, many of us seek to retain a sense of cultural identity and may often refer to our cultural roots, or use double-barreled descriptions such as Asian-American. In primeval and nomadic times, a person’s survival likely benefited from establishing strong bonds with an in-group of trusted relatives or clan-mates with whom one co-operated and shared, versus an out-group against which there was competition for scarce resources. Humans have a strong drive to maintain the sense of identity that comes from membership in an identifiable group. Cultural Lens and How Culture Influences Your PerceptionsĬultural Awareness, Sensitivity, and SafetyĬulture can be defined in terms of the shared knowledge, beliefs, and values that characterize a social group.