A Guide for Health Professionals reflects a commitment to enhance the delivery and quality of health care to disadvantaged communities. It was developed partly in response to the needs of those who, because of their cultural, ethnic or linguistic backgrounds, are uncomfortable with conventional services and believe them to be inappropriate and insensitive to culture and gender. But in addition, health providers have also voiced their difficulties in providing appropriate care to people from diverse backgrounds, when their knowledge of different communities is limited. There is little opportunity within curriculum of various health professions to provide adequate and appropriate training to meet these needs. The response in this guide is to provide simple and accessible information of direct use in a clinical or community setting.
Individuals vary in many ways.
Historically Australians have expected people to assimilate into the dominant Anglo-Australian culture. We now celebrate cultural difference, and are becoming more attuned to the needs of individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Experiences of health and illness vary widely, as a result of different beliefs, behaviours, past experience in Australia and experiences prior to migration. Good health care depends on our sensitivity towards these differences. Cultural Diversity has been developed as a tool to assist you in this.