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For many years, the notion of health care has been primarily associated with the process of creating a quality framework of medical assistance and timely intervention. However, with various changes taking place in the social paradigm over the past years, the phenomenon of quality care has shifted from exclusively medical expertise towards a holistic socio-cultural approach to provider-patient communication. The effects of globalization and multiplicity in culture have contributed to the increased demand for health care providers to acknowledge one’s ethnic and cultural background before planning a full-scale intervention. Hence, the present paper aims at discovering the major reasons behind the importance of cross-cultural communication in health care.
The first and arguably the most significant precursor of the development of cross-cultural communication is the explicit evidence of how ethnic minorities tend to be underserved and discriminated against due to a cultural gap. According to the latest research conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2021), every ethnic minority group across the US has experienced disparities in terms of patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, care effectiveness, and affordable care access. For example, when speaking of the African American community, many healthcare providers overlook the fact that some African immigrants initially relied on traditional medicine more than on conventional medical practice due to the social determinant of mistrust (Adebayo et al., 2019). As a result, instead of acknowledging one’s cultural heritage, healthcare providers emphasize the superiority of medical practice and automatically undermine the cultural values and beliefs of a designated social group.
Another reason for embracing cultural competence and cross-cultural communication is the existing health discrepancies across various cultural communities. For example, Latina and Black women are statistically prone to experiencing postpartum depression more frequently than their White counterparts (Ponting et al., 2020). However, despite such evidence, ethnic minorities are still less likely to experience timely intervention. Another example concerns the fact that Hispanic and Black men, although having higher life expectancy rates, are more likely to struggle with such chronic conditions as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as they are less likely to undergo timely screening to identify the disease at its early stages. For this reason, cross-cultural communication and acknowledgment of one’s ethnicity are crucial in terms of providing quality care.
Finally, language as a key means of communication is of paramount importance for healthcare organizations. According to the research, poor English literacy among minorities is one of the most evident and challenging barriers in the way of quality health care (Acharya et al., 2017). Thus, to overcome this barrier, professionals mustn’t assume a particular level of patient proficiency when communicating. In the case of ESL speakers, it is necessary to use comprehensive terminology and regulate the pace of speech. In case patients are unable to communicate in English, it is highly recommended to consider hiring a full-time interpreter on the hospital premises to eliminate discrimination and improve the cross-cultural communication experience.
Having considered the reasons for promoting cross-cultural communication among health care organizations, it may be rightfully concluded that medical professionals should not strive for a universal approach to care that would benefit all ethnic communities. Instead, it is critical to acknowledge a high level of diversity among patients and make enough efforts to make communication with people meaningful and non-ignorant. The phenomenon of cross-cultural communication is especially relevant in the context of the rapid increase in globalization rates.
References
Acharya, B., Basnet, M., Rimal, P., Citrin, D., Hirachan, S., Swar, S., Thapa, P., Pandit, J., Pokharel, R., & Kohrt, B. (2017). Translating mental health diagnostic and symptom terminology to train health workers and engage patients in cross-cultural, non-English speaking populations.International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 11(1), 1-6. Web.
Adebayo, C. T., Walker, K., Hawkins, M., Olukotun, O., Shaw, L., Sahlstein Parcell, E., Dressel, A., Luft, H., & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2020). Race and Blackness: A thematic review of communication challenges confronting the Black community within the US health care system.Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31(4), 397-405. Web.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ]. (2021). 2019 national healthcare quality and disparities report. Web.
Ponting, C., Mahrer, N. E., Zelcer, H., Dunkel Schetter, C., & Chavira, D. A. (2020). Psychological interventions for depression and anxiety in pregnant Latina and Black women in the United States: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 27(2), 249-265. Web.
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