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Diverse Patient Population (diverse + patient_population)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Cultural competence: a conceptual framework for teaching and learning

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2009
Conny Seeleman
Objectives, The need to address cultural and ethnic diversity issues in medical education as a means to improve the quality of care for all has been widely emphasised. Cultural competence has been suggested as an instrument with which to deal with diversity issues. However, the implementation of culturally competent curricula appears to be difficult. We believe the development of curricula would profit from a framework that provides a practical translation of abstract educational objectives and that is related to competencies underlying the medical curriculum in general. This paper proposes such a framework. Methods, The framework illustrates the following cultural competencies: knowledge of epidemiology and the differential effects of treatment in various ethnic groups; awareness of how culture shapes individual behaviour and thinking; awareness of the social context in which specific ethnic groups live; awareness of one's own prejudices and tendency to stereotype; ability to transfer information in a way the patient can understand and to use external help (e.g. interpreters) when needed, and ability to adapt to new situations flexibly and creatively. Discussion, The framework indicates important aspects in taking care of an ethnically diverse patient population. It shows that there are more dimensions to delivering high-quality care than merely the cultural. Most cultural competencies emphasise a specific aspect of a generic competency that is of extra importance when dealing with patients from different ethnic groups. We hope our framework contributes to the further development of cultural competency in medical curricula. [source]

Emergency Medical Practice: Advancing Cultural Competence and Reducing Health Care Disparities

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2009
Aasim 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]

19 A Novel Approach to Residency Education in EMS: The MD-PM Ambulance

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 2008
Angela Fiege
Challenge:, Indiana University EM residents have actively provided prehospital care as crew members on a hospital-based air ambulance service. This service functions as a secondary responder for high acuity patients who have already had first tier evaluation and care. First response, ground EMS experiences have been observational only as residents have ridden along with a two-paramedic team on an urban ambulance service for 24 hours during their residency careers. Resident understanding of first response care and challenges faced by initial EMS providers has been limited to that gleaned during their observational period. Solution:, Most EM residencies do not provide opportunities for residents to function as first response providers. Therefore, we developed a Physician-Paramedic team to provide first response care within a busy metropolitan area. This two-member team operates within a "geozone" that includes a diverse patient population with both medical and trauma complaints. Unlike other residency ground EMS programs, the MD-PM truck responds primarily to all ambulance requests within their designated geozone and assists outside their designated geozone for multi-patient casualties in which a physician response would benefit patient care (fires, motor vehicle accidents, multiple gunshot victims). Residents on the MD-PM truck not only provide care equivalent to that expected of a nationally certified paramedic (IVs, drug administration, splinting, packaging), but also perform advanced skills such as RSI which is outside the scope of a traditional two-paramedic team. Immersion into the first response ground EMS system will provide valuable insight into the challenges of providing care outside of the hospital. [source]

Evaluating Emergency Care Research Networks: What Are the Right Metrics?

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2009
Jill M. Baren MD
Abstract Research networks can enable the inclusion of large, diverse patient populations in different settings. However, the optimal measures of a research network's failure or success are not well defined or standardized. To define a framework for metrics used to measure the performance and effectiveness of emergency care research networks (ECRN), a conference for emergency care investigators, funding agencies, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders was held and yielded the following major recommendations: 1) ECRN metrics should be measurable, explicitly defined, and customizable for the multiple stakeholders involved and 2) continuing to develop and institute metrics to evaluate ECRNs will be critical for their accountability and sustainability. [source]