More Than Medicine: Why Cultural Context Matters in Patient Care
Delving deep into the indispensable impact of cultural insights on patient outcomes.
Sanju Rajan
9/29/20233 min read
What is Cultural Context?
Have you ever met someone from a different culture and immediately tried to greet them with their traditional greeting, only to get it hilariously wrong? Maybe you bowed when you should've shaken hands, or vice versa. This is precisely what happens in healthcare as well.
For many individuals, their personal attributes – whether it's their gender, race, sexual orientation, or body weight – shape their experiences and perspectives. This lens, influenced by society's biases and expectations, refracts their perceptions and dictates how they interact with the world. Such a lens isn't exclusive to patients; it extends to healthcare providers and even those who design medical equipment. We're all looking through our uniquely smeared lenses.
Consider pulse oximeters, which are designed to measure oxygen levels objectively. These devices, while beneficial, don't work equally for all. They are often less accurate for those with darker skin. Such biases aren't isolated to devices. Diagnosing skin conditions like eczema, is another area where race plays a role. On lighter skin, eczema may appear red, but on darker skin, it can appear brown, purple, or ash gray, leading to potential misdiagnoses. Despite this, for the longest time, healthcare has not accounted for these differences; imagine assuming that all cars run on gas. It’s exactly like that.
The need for cultural context transcends racial and dermatological considerations. People's reactions to their life situations also vary based on their backgrounds. For example, while some might retract into a shell when depressed, others may become outwardly aggressive. Similarly, bullying might cause some to lose their appetite, while others might seek solace in food. Furthermore, maladaptive stress responses have the potential to be transmitted across generations. Whether through epigenetic inheritance, where traumatic experiences imprint on one's DNA and pass on, or through learned behaviors and tales, these generational burdens exist and impact health outcomes. Just like the hand-me-downs from granny, not all family legacies are a perfect fit!
Why is Cultural Context relevant now?
Cultural context in healthcare is an alarm we've been hitting 'snooze' on for far too long. I’ll give you three reasons why it is time to wake up and get moving right now!
Critical Moments Demand Sensitivity: Healthcare often intersects with the most vulnerable moments of our lives – be it childbirth, the death of a loved one, or accidents. Especially in an evolving society, ensuring cultural sensitivity during such times can ease a patient's pain, offering them solace and understanding. With the shifting dynamics of population, migration, immigration, and a diversifying medical workforce, there's a pressing need to cater to a spectrum of cultural identities.
Enhanced Patient Trust and Outcomes: Trust fosters better health outcomes. When patients feel genuinely understood, they're more likely to stick to treatment plans, leading to improved overall health. We're more likely to listen to someone who "gets us".
Economic and Clinical Efficiency: Most important of them all, it saves money, time, and effort. Consider this, misunderstandings in healthcare are like ordering the wrong thing at a restaurant. Not only do you end up paying for something you didn't need, but you still have to order (and pay for) what you originally required. By avoiding misunderstandings born from cultural gaps, we can prevent costly medical errors. It is not only ethically sound but financially wise.
Guidelines for Implementing Cultural Sensitivity
While I don’t have a handbook to pass about cultural sensitivity, if you are new to these waters, I have outlined a couple of tips to help you float till you eventually swim.
Develop Cultural Competence: Begin by acknowledging potential biases. Enhance knowledge about various cultures, hone the skills necessary for cross-cultural interactions, and prioritize self-awareness. Understand that cultural values differ; what's prioritized in one culture might not be in another.
Maintain a Learning Stance: Engage with different cultures, participate in cultural events, and be open to diverse perspectives.
Open-minded Assessment: Not every cultural difference implies a deficit. Stay open and continually evaluate your understanding.
Effective Communication: Sincerity and respect are vital. Approach every interaction as a learning opportunity. Remember, no culture is monolithic; everyone's experiences within a culture differ.
Embrace Discomfort: Engaging with different cultures can be challenging. However, lean into that discomfort, for it's a sign of growth.
This is a nuanced and loaded topic. Disparities in healthcare, influenced by socio-economic factors, complicate the narrative. Time constraints often become a barrier to integrating cultural sensitivity, we can always argue that there isn’t time for this, and we need to prioritize more urgent matters. Yet, irrespective of a nation's economic status, embracing cultural context is crucial. As countries develop, disparities can widen. Addressing them head-on ensures a just, inclusive healthcare system for all. Embracing the cultural context isn't just an ethical responsibility; it's a medical necessity.
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