How Do Cultural Factors Intersect With Social Determinants of Health?
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In this program:
How can cultural factors play into patient care? Dana Powell Baker explains how various cultural factors must be considered as a factor in patient care and shares advice on how providers can adjust to cultural factors to help reduce care disparities.
Transcript
Dana Powell Baker:
Certainly, when it comes to social determinants of health and the role that that actually plays or intersects with cultural and ethnic factors is, I believe, really just not treating every patient the same, especially depending on their ethnic background. It may be nationality, country of origin, their culture, and what's considered normal or what's considered an appropriate level of care, as, of course, we should all have access to quality healthcare, of course, and, of course, diagnostic testing. But we want to make sure that we are culturally-sensitive and really culturally-competent in our engagement with our patients. And so, although we can provide these resources and these options, we have to be open to hearing what their concerns may be, especially if the recommendation goes against what is culturally acceptable for them.
And so, meeting patients where they are, meeting them in their area of need, creating space for them to ask questions, to do their own research, to have those discussions with their family, if that provides that level of comfort and that sense of trust and mutual respect when it comes to their care, because, after all, that decision is impacting them. And it's not for us or any other healthcare provider to make that determination for them. And so, again, with determinants of health, whether it may be related to economic concerns, access to care, transportation to appointments, especially for follow-up appointments, I would say all these can be factors that can be influencing or impacting how that person proceeds in their management of care.
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