Culture of the Health Care Provider Many of the providers at Children s Hospital are Caucasian North Americans, with Western traditions. While they are as diverse as any other ethnic group, there are some similarities in Western culture that sets members apart from other cultural groups. In other cultures, such as African, Asian and Latino, communication may be more narrative in form, and people may get to the point gradually. While in Western culture, direct eye contact is a sign of respect and attentiveness, in other cultures it may be considered disrespectful or an affront. In Western culture, people value the time-efficient behavior.
Time is saved, lost, or wasted.
It is very important to be on time. Western thinking is often future-oriented. People plan for the future in many aspects of their lives. Believing that they, not fate, control the environment, they think they can determine the direction of many areas of their lives. While preventive medicine is an important aspect of health care in the United States, in many other countries it is not practiced.