Covered in FPM Quiz Marla Sutton Culture influences the way patients respond to medical services and preventive interventions. R acial, ethnic and cultural disparities exist in all aspects of society, but nowhere are they more clearly documented than in health care. In addition, their infant mortality rates are generally higher, and their childhood immunization rates are lower. Although disproportionate poverty and lack of health insurance contribute greatly to the disparities, health care organizations and individual medical practices are also responsible in that they often fail to provide culturally competent health care. It is integral to eliminating health care disparities and providing high-quality patient care.
Culture shapes individuals' experiences, perceptions, decisions and how they relate to others.
It influences the way patients respond to medical services and preventive interventions and impacts the way physicians deliver those services. In a society as culturally diverse as the United States, physicians and others in health care delivery need to increase their awareness of and sensitivity toward diverse patient populations and work to understand culturally influenced health behaviors. The word competence is used because it implies having a capacity to function effectively. 2 Value diversity. In other words, do not merely tolerate people of differing backgrounds and viewpoints, but consider differences as strengths.