Author/Editor		Car, J; Partridge, MR
Title		Crosscultural communication in those with airway diseases
Type		članek
Source		Chronic respiratory disease
Vol. and No.		Letnik 1
Publication year		2004
Volume		str. 153-60
Language		eng
Abstract		Transcultural consultations are becoming commonplace. Such consultations arise because patients from ethnic groups consult doctors, but also because patients consult doctors from other ethnic backgrounds. Such consultations require a cultural awareness and sensitivity which may be particularly necessary when concerning those with respiratory illnesses which are often long-term and about which there may be considerable stigma. The prevalence of respiratory disease can vary between ethic groups, most noticeably in tuberculosis and smoking; and in diseases such as asthma, health service usage and treatment can vary significantly with ethnicity. Some of this may represent cultural, rather than disease specific differences. Good comunication is essential throughout medical practice, but in transcultural consultations it is especially important that the doctor pays appropriate attention to likely patient beliefs and approaches to shared decision making. Usual negotiation regarding goals and outcomes first requires the clinician to understand how a patients understanding of illness may vary from a traditional western scientific approach. Special attention needs to be paid to the optimal way of using interpreters and more time is often needed for crosscultural consultations. Specific training is necessary for health practitioners to enable them to acquire the skills for crosscultural care and this involves learning about other cultures and an appreciation of how a change in attitude often needs to be incorporated into the clinical approach. Acquiring these skills and understanding to facilitate optimal transcultural consultation enables transfer of these skills to other similar clinical scenarios such as the approach to those with disability. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
Descriptors		RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASES CULTURAL DIVERSITY ETHNIC GROUPS PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONS