Produced by: ETSU’s Office of Cultural Affairs

 

Cultural Link

 

Topics of Interest In this Issue

Native American Heritage Month

Diabetes/Diabetes Eye Disease Awareness Month
Hospice Month: Cultural Preferences for
End-of-Life- Care
Epilepsy  Awareness Month   

 

 

           

              

              

                                                                                                  

                                               

             

       

       

        National Allied Health Week, 7—13

 

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· National Marrow Awareness Month

· National Allied Health Week, 7—13

 

 

 

 

 

NOVEMBER  QUESTION 

 

Select the five countries from the list below  with the world’s highest prevalence of diabetes:

A.   India

B.   China

C.   United States

D.   South Africa

E.   Pakistan

F.   Indonesia

 

A prize will be awarded to one person, selected at random, who answers correctly. Email your response to nwosu@etsu.edu by 4:30 pm on     November 18.

 

Answer to the October Question: Safe Practice 10, also called “Teach back,” means having the patient or guardian recount information just conveyed.  Safe Practice 10 was identified by the National Quality Forum as the most broadly effective of 30 safe practices in promoting better communication with vulnerable populations: those with limited English proficiency and low health literacy.

 

     Did You Know?

◦   Diabetes is a serious problem in the U.S.  The total prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 20 and older is 14.9% of American Indians, 11.4% of African Americans, 8.4% of non-Hispanic Whites, and 8.2% of Hispanic/Latinos.

◦ All demographic groups are affected by epilepsy, but age adjusted, self-reported prevalence of epilepsy  was higher for Blacks (6.7/1000) than Whites ) in the U.S.  (4.5/1000).

◦ Several studies have documented that patients from racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to receive adequate analgesia than other patients with similar illness severity.

 

 

Health Links on Diversity

Article of the Month

Searight HR, Gafford J.  Cultural Diversity at the End of Life:  Issues and Guidelines for Family Physicians.  American Family Physician 2005; 71 (3): 515—522. 

Cultural factors influence reactions to serious illness and end-of-life care.  Three dimensions of end- of- life care were found in the research to vary by culture: communication of “bad news”, who makes the decisions, and attitudes towards advance directives.  The authors recommend developing patient and family rapport by inquiring about cultural background; avoiding stereotyping through use of patient centered questions to elicit patient preferences; and use  of trained interpreters when necessary.  Guidelines in the article give specific cues to help in framing questions.  Lower rates of advance directives among some ethnic groups may reflect issues beyond the immediate doctor-patient relationship due to distrust of the US health care system, health care disparities, cultural views of death and dying, and family dynamics.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

assessed annually for three years.  The research took an ecological approach simultaneously studying multiple individual, family, and community risk and protective factors focused on occurrence of two types of abuse: severe physical assault and assault of child self-esteem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The listing below represents just a few of the resources available to promote knowledge, awareness and discussions on diversity in health care among ETSU students, faculty and staff.  

 

OCA Newsletter Index Page

OCA Home Page

TOPIC                TITLE & LOCATION

Circle of Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PBS Website

 on Native American Culture & Environment

November Newsletter References

 For more information or assistance contact Elaine Evans, Reference Assistant, COM Library,

evans@etsu.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information or assistance contact Elaine Evans, Reference Assistant, COM Library, evanse@etsu.edu.

Other Observances in November

NOVEMBER

2005