Caring for Patients from Different Cultures

What happens when a Cherokee patient summons a medicine man to the hospital, or when an Anglo nurse refuses to take orders from a Japanese doctor? Why do Asian patients rarely ask for pain medication, while Mediterranean patients seem to seek relief for even the slightest discomfort? If the goal of the American medical system is to provide optimal care for all patients, healthcare providers must understand cultural differences that create conflicts and misunderstandings and can result in inferior medical care. Geri-Ann Galanti's updated classic, Caring for Patients from Different Cultures, is even more comprehensive than the first two editions, containing new appendices for quick reference, an expanded and updated bibliography with Internet resources, and a detailed index. Caring for Patients from Different Cultures contains over 200 case studies illustrating crosscultural misunderstanding and culturally competent health care. The chapters cover a diverse range of topics, including birth, end of life, traditional medicine, mental health, pain, religion, and multicultural staff issues. The case studies illustrate important concepts from the fields of cultural diversity and medical anthropology. This volume is an important resource for nurses and physicians in achieving cultural competency.

Geri-Ann Galanti is on the faculty of the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Los Angeles, the School of Nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and the Doctoring Curriculum at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.