Cultural Sensitivity Is Key To Quality Care

Awareness and sensitivity to a patient's cultural background can improve physician-patient communication and positively affect patient health, according to a new Committee Opinion released by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College). By learning more about the cultural identity of their patients, ob-gyns can become more sensitive to women's unique needs and can enhance quality of care and medical compliance, especially among women in minority and underserved communities.


A woman's ethnic heritage, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or socio-economic status can contribute to how she makes decisions regarding her health. A physician's unfamiliarity with the traditions and values of certain patient populations can lead to confusion, misinterpretation, and low adherence to medical advice, especially when a woman's culture is at odds with widely accepted medical practices. Lack of cultural understanding toward historically underserved groups-such as Hispanic, African-American, immigrant, low-income, and lesbian and bisexual women; transgendered individuals; women with disabilities; and women from faiths unfamiliar to the physician-can also lead to inadequate medical care.


The College suggests a variety of ways that doctors can foster cultural awareness. Several scenarios are presented in the new Committee Opinion that demonstrate how cultural sensitivity can help ob-gyns acknowledge, respect, and incorporate a patient's set of values and improve medical outcomes.


"The ability to communicate and connect with patients of different backgrounds and provide quality care that respects their personal values and beliefs is a critical skill for ob-gyns," said Maureen G. Phipps, MD, chair of The College's Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. "Health care should not be one-size-fits-all. When we acknowledge and attempt to understand the cultural identities of our patients, we're better able to deliver beneficial and individualized care."


Committee Opinion #493 "Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness in the Delivery of Health Care" is published in the May 2011 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.


Source:

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists