Cultural competency: How to work with a patient who is not like you

By Jules Murtha | Fact-checked by Barbara Bekiesz 
| Updated April 25, 2022 MD Linx

Key Takeaways

• Factors such as poverty and low access to education and healthcare are primary contributors to healthcare-related disparities among US sociocultural and economic minorities.
  
• Cultural competency gives physicians a skill set for working with patients of various cultural backgrounds in order to ensure better health outcomes.
  
• Residents can foster cultural competency by familiarizing themselves with the local community, recognizing associated economic and cultural barriers, and addressing implicit biases that may exist toward minority patients.
  

As a resident, you may be privy to the very real effects that social determinants of health have on certain patients. A patient’s language and culture, after all, are known indicators of the quality of care they will likely receive from healthcare providers—and racial and ethnic minorities often suffer as a result.
One way to improve patient care for minorities is by practicing cultural competence and cultural safety.

​TO CONTINUE:https://www.mdlinx.com/article/cultural-competency-how-to-work-with-a-patient-who-is-not-like-you/ET1eEoXKcgzmo8gyqjSu6?show_order=4&article