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Cultural Awareness (cultural + awareness)
Selected AbstractsMuseums in Taiwan and the Development of Cultural AwarenessMUSEUM INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1-2 2008Chen Kuo-ning [source] Teaching Culturally Appropriate Care: A Review of Educational Models and MethodsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 12 2006Cherri Hobgood MD Abstract The disparities in health care and health outcomes between the majority population and cultural and racial minorities in the United States are a problem that likely is influenced by the lack of culturally competent care. Emergency medicine and other primary-care specialties remain on the front lines of this struggle because of the nature of their open-door practice. To provide culturally appropriate care, health care providers must recognize the factors impeding cultural awareness, seek to understand the biases and traditions in medical education potentially fueling this phenomenon, and create a health care community that is open to individuals' otherness, thus leading to better communication of ideas and information between patients and their health care providers. This article highlights the rationale for and current problems in teaching cultural competency and examines several different models implemented to teach and promote cultural competency along the continuum of emergency medicine learners. However, the literature addressing the true efficacy of such programs in leading to long-lasting change and improvement in minority patients' clinical outcomes remains insufficient. [source] Turning Professional: Content-Based Communication and the Evolution of a Cross-Cultural Language CurriculumFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 6 2000Gisela Hoecherl-Alden Furthermore, the increasing demand for professional language classes makes it necessary to adjust the overall undergraduate program so that these courses fit meaningfully into the mainly humanities-oriented curriculum. If students are to bridge the gap between form and meaning, courses need to move from communicative training at the elementary level through an intermediate stage that combines communicative and content-based instruction. Finally, training students successfully for future careers in a global economy means that courses cannot focus only on content and form, but also must include a thorough development of cultural awareness. Applying ethnographic intercultural training methods to the language classroom ensures that the students attain not only linguistic but also cultural proficiency. The course structure presented in this paper demonstrates that professional school students can be trained alongside humanities majors by making minor but far-reaching adjustments to the elementary and intermediate language program, and without placing undue constraints on departmental resources. [source] Halitosis among racially diverse populations: an updateINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 1 2008S Rayman Abstract:, The aim of this paper is to highlight the cultural perceptions of halitosis to dental professionals. Halitosis (oral malodour or bad breath) is caused mainly by tongue coating and periodontal disease. Bacterial metabolism of amino acids leads to metabolites including many compounds, such as indole, skatole and volatile sulphur compounds (VSC), hydrogen sulphide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulphide. They are claimed to be the main aetiological agents for halitosis. Gastrointestinal diseases are also generally believed to cause halitosis. In general, physicians and dentists are poorly informed about the causes and treatments for halitosis. The paper reviews the prevalence and distribution of halitosis, oral malodour, its aetiology, concepts of general and oral health and diseases and their perception among racially diverse population. Eating, smoking and drinking habits and understanding of halitosis as a social norm among different people has been highlighted. The treatment options have also been presented very briefly. A brief discussion about general importance within existing healthcare services has been highlighted. Oral malodour may rank only behind dental caries and periodontal disease as the cause of patient's visits to the dentist. It is a public social health problem. The perception of halitosis is different in culturally diverse populations. So the dental professionals should be aware of the cultural perceptions of halitosis among racially and culturally diverse populations. There is a need to integrate the cultural awareness and knowledge about halitosis among the dental professional for better understanding of halitosis to treat patients with the social dilemma of halitosis to improve the quality of life and well-being of individuals with the problem. It is concluded that dental professionals (especially dental hygienists) should be prepared to practice in a culturally diverse environment in a sensitive and appropriate manner, to deliver optimal oral health and hygiene care. [source] Towards tourism: a Laotian perspectiveINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010Wantanee Suntikul Abstract This paper reports the findings of a study of the attitudes of residents towards tourism in the District of Viengxay, Lao People's Democratic Republic, where tourism is in its infancy. Based on focus group interviews, the paper analyses the societal and individual attitudes of the residents towards tourists, tourism development and employment in the tourism field. It was found that locals have little understanding of the motivations of tourists for visiting their villages. Villagers look forward to tourism development to bring more communication and fame to their village, as well as to tourism's contribution to the local economy. Community-mindedness, control and organisation, cultural exchange, understanding and cultural awareness are prime motivators in forming local attitudes towards tourism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Students' perceptions of race, ethnicity and culture at two UK medical schools: a qualitative studyMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2008Jane H Roberts Context, Globalisation has profoundly affected health care by increasing the diversity of clinicians and their patients. Worldwide, medical schools highlight the need for students to understand and show respect for patients and peers of different ethnicities. Yet a sound theoretical approach and robust methods for learning about cultural awareness are lacking. The reasons for this are unclear. Objective, To explore Year 2 medical students' understanding of the concepts of race, ethnicity and culture. Methods, This study was set in 2 universities in the north of England. The student population of each was of a similar ethnic mix but the universities differed in terms of local demography (a wide patient ethnic mix versus a predominantly White patient population with experience of social deprivation) and curricula (a curriculum involving problem-based learning and paper-based cases versus a curriculum involving early contact with patients). Participants comprised 49 Year 2 medical students (mean age 20·8 years), 40% of whom came from ethnic minority groups. Seven focus groups were held across the 2 universities to explore students' understanding of cultural awareness. Students were asked to discuss the terms ,race', ,ethnicity', ,culture' and ,cultural diversity'. Interviews were transcribed and analysed qualitatively using grounded theory. Themes were identified and validated by an independent researcher. Results, Four overarching themes emerged: ,White fears' at discussing race-related issues; ethnic minority discomfort at being viewed as ,different'; difficulties in relating to professional boundaries, and barriers against talking about race beyond legitimate disease-related discourse. Conclusions, For students, discussion of race beyond the confines of medical discourse was problematic. If students are to develop professional holistic values towards patient care, they need more support in understanding their own personal values and uncertainties. [source] Refugees and medical student training: results of a programme in primary careMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 7 2006Kim Griswold Context, Medical schools have responded to the increasing diversity of the population of the USA by incorporating cultural competency training into their curricula. This paper presents results from pre- and post-programme surveys of medical students who participated in a training programme that included evening clinical sessions for refugee patients and related educational workshops. Methods, A self-assessment survey was administered at the beginning and end of the academic year to measure the cultural awareness of participating medical students. Results, Over the 3 years of the programme, over 133 students participated and 95 (73%) completed pre- and post-programme surveys. Participants rated themselves significantly higher in all 3 domains of the cultural awareness survey after completion of the programme. Conclusions, The opportunity for medical students to work with refugees in the provision of health care presents many opportunities for students, including lessons in communication, and scope to learn about other cultures and practise basic health care skills. An important issue to consider is the power differential between those working in medicine and patients who are refugees. To avoid reinforcing stereotypes, medical programmes and medical school curricula can incorporate efforts to promote reflection on provider attitudes, beliefs and biases. [source] Protocols, particularities, and problematising Indigenous ,engagement' in community-based environmental management in settled AustraliaTHE GEOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2010JENNIFER CARTER Many Aboriginal Australians in regional and urban Australia hold attachments to their homelands that have been compromised by policies of removal and dispossession. Government agencies and community groups have ,protocols' for engaging with Aboriginal communities, but these protocols have been transferred from remote parts of Australia where land tenure and rights are relatively secure and people can readily claim their community of belonging. The efficacy and applicability of engagement protocols are rarely evaluated, and have not been evaluated with respect to the differing tenure regimes of settled Australia under which rights to land and its resources remain contested and unfolding. This paper describes research conducted in three study areas of regional Australia, where resource management practitioners apply projects according to engagement protocols transferred from remote Australia. Analysis of government and community-based documents, and interviews with agency staff and Aboriginal people, identifies that genuine participation, cultural awareness, agreement-making, appropriate representation and the unique place-based factors affecting engagement remain key barriers to effective engagement with Aboriginal people by institutions in urbanising Australia. In particular, appropriate representation and a need for place-based approaches emerge as critical to engagement in settled Australia. This paper recommends that engagement be considered as a multi-layered approach in which generic ,engagement' threads are selected and re-selected in different combinations to suit contexts, places and purposes. Thus each place-based engagement initiative is not readily typified at the local scale, but taken together, make up a regional mosaic of different engagement structures and processes. [source] The Third Dimension: cultural awareness for Non-English speaking background health professionalsAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2001Indrani Ganguly The complexity of the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-English speaking background (NESB) communities is difficult to capture in cultural awareness programs that are based on binary (Indigenous/non-Indigenous) models. This is illustrated by an examination of three major elements of cross-cultural programs, the historical/socio-political context of Indigenous people's positioning in Australia, cultural differences and racism. It is acknowledged that these are only a few ideas that may be useful in thinking about NESB-Indigenous relations in health care in Australia. [source] Emergency Medical Practice: Advancing Cultural Competence and Reducing Health Care DisparitiesACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009Aasim I. Padela MD Abstract In an increasingly diverse patient population, language differences, socioeconomic circumstances, religious values, and cultural practices may present barriers to the delivery of quality care. These obstacles contribute to the health care disparities observed in all areas of medical care. Increasing cultural competence has been cited as part of the solution to reduce disparities. The emergency department (ED) is an environment where cultural sensitivity is particularly needed, as it is often a primary source of health care for the underserved and ethnic and racial minorities and a place where high patient volume and acuity place the provider under demanding time pressures, yet the emergency medicine (EM) literature on health care disparities and cultural competence is limited. The authors present three clinical scenarios highlighting challenges in providing equitable emergency care to minority populations. Using these cases as illustrations, three processes are proposed that may improve the quality of care delivered to minority populations: 1) increase cultural awareness and reduce provider biases, enabling providers to interact more effectively with different patient populations; 2) accommodate patient preferences and needs in medical settings through practice adjustments and cultural modifications; and 3) increase provider diversity to raise levels of tolerance, awareness, and understanding for other cultures and create more racially and/or ethnically concordant patient,physician relationships. [source] | |||||||||||||