September

Tips on how to gain the confidence (confianza) of Hispanic patients. Quality Health Services for Hispanics: The Cultural competency Component.

This study found two proxies that predicted the functional health literacy (FHL) of Spanish-speaking respondents in the UNC Emergency Department. Health Literacy among Spanish-Speaking Patients in the Emergency Department

Bullying children in schools has an impact on their mental health but it has especially serious consequences for LGBT youth. This survey found that Latino Parents Avoid Talks About Sexual Orientation .

What do bilingual skills in Spanish and English have to do with depressive symptoms in adolescents? Culture, Context, and the Internalizing Distress of Mexican-American Youth

Sickle Cell Anemia

A guide for longitudinal care starting from newborn screening. Sickle Cell Disease in Childhood

Some Sickle Cell patients who do not look sick face discrimination from health care providers. Providing Culturally Competent Sickle Cell Care.

Couples to have babies without sickle cell trait or sickle cell anemia. What is the technique and are there problems associated with it?

Latina Pre-Med Student Reflects on Her Heritage

Sylvana Hildago speaks about her goals, and differences between opportunities available to her from those of her parents' generation. Fulfilling a Dream At Yale University.

Suicide Prevention Week, 9/6 - 12	September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month
Suicides increase dramatically in these three groups of adolescents. Suicides among US youth at the highest in 15 years: Spotting the Warning Signs There are dramatic racial and ethnic differences in suicide rates: Suicide in the US: Statistics and prevention Cultural bias Complicates Suicide-Prevention Efforts Suicidal intent among African Americans is often not admitted.	The World Craniofacial Foundation transforms children's lives through surgery and aftercare for craniofacial deformities. Compare this "after" photo of Petero with the "before" photo on the Foundation's website:Petero Byatakonda: A Journey of Hope How do the responses of health care providers to the child affect parents? Psychological issues in cleft lip and palate
Article of the Month
Saha S, Beach MC, Cooper, LA. Patient Centeredness, Cultural Competence and Healthcare Quality. Journal of the National Medical Association; 100:11 (1275 - 1285) accessed on 6/10/2009 at http://www.nmanet.org/images/uploads/Publications/OC1275.pdf.
Cultural competence and patient centered care are two approaches to improving the quality of health care delivery. The concept of patient centered medicine, started in 1969 by Balint, emphasized the uniqueness of each person. Others developed the concept to describe that patient-centered clinical method and the patient-centered interview where the physician aims to better communicate with the patient to understand the illness through the patient's eyes. It has expanded beyond the emphasis on improving provider-patient communication to focus on the importance of other aspects of care as convenience of office hours, ability to get appointments when needed, being seen on time, having services nearby, and patient-centered outcomes (quality of life, functional status). The concept of cultural competence has developed in response to the challenges of care to groups which differed from the mainstream US population. There are now national standards for health systems and federal mandates to increase cultural competence. Initially, cultural competence models focused on improving health care services for immigrant groups with limited English proficiency and with different cultural norms. Models of cultural competence were to provide bridges between providers and patients through use of interpreters and cultural brokers while stressing respect and awareness for different cultures. To avoid stereotyping, cultural competence meant that providers were to gather some knowledge about the cultural traditions of the groups within their clinical practice, as well as attitudes and skills that would be universally relevant. Patient-centered care and cultural competence have several principals in common: respect for patients as individuals, engagement of patients as partners, effective communication about illness and treatment goals, and holistic consideration of the socio and cultural context of the patient's illness experience. The difference between these concepts is that patient-centeredness focuses on improving care for all through examination of processes, while cultural competence is focused on improving quality of care for patients of color and disadvantaged populations which have experiences demonstrated health disparities.
Did You Know?
Suicide rates are highest in the US for non-Hispanic Whites, 12.9/100,000 and for American Indians/Alaska Natives, 12.4. American Indian adolescents have the highest risk of suicide; their suicide rate is more than 2 times that of their peers from other racial/ethnic groups: 52.9/100,000. A North Carolina study of comparing the health literacy of Hispanic and non-Hispanic patients (and patient guardians) found that 74% of Spanish speakers and 7% of English speakers had less than adequate functional health literacy. A study of pain in sickle cell disease found that patients frequently manage even severe pain at home rather than in health care settings.

TOP

OCA HOME007 |