6 Hindus and Sikhs are important minority groups in Canada. There are more than 1 billion South Asians in the world population. To avoid miscommunication, physicians need to understand and respect the religious and cultural traditions of their Hindu and Sikh patients. They also need to recognize the diversity of beliefs and practices within these populations. Table 1 summarizes essential points to keep in mind when providing care to Hindu and Sikh patients.
Extended families are common and provide family members with social support and financial security.
Tradition favours frequent visits to an ill person by friends and members of the extended family to offer support. Therefore, the physician may encounter more visitors at the patient's bedside than he or she is accustomed to. Elderly members of the extended family provide advice, help with child care and are accorded respect. If the patient and physician do not speak the same language, every effort should be made to find a trained and impartial interpreter who is familiar with the patient's traditions and culture. It is particularly important in issues of consent to ensure that information given to or received from the patient is not being censored or altered by the interpreter.