Cross Cultural Communication

Culture-specific training perpetuating stereotypes? 

To understand cultural differences, any training on the topic would have to include some listing of characteristics common to one culture when compared to another.  How else could you write a curriculum tailored to a certain culture?  At first glance, compiling such a list would feel a little bit like documenting a stereotype, undoubtedly, but the definition multiculturalism has to contain some differentiation between sociocultural groups. In a study about medical resident’s experiences with learning multi-cultural care, many “expressed concern that culture-specific training could lead to stereotyping.” 1 So the concern is out there, but I think it is unfounded.

The institutional requirements of medical professionals to adhere to the tenets of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) and the benefits to health literacy across different cultures far outweigh the notion that “culture-specific” training would somehow perpetuate a stereotype or offend someone.  In fact, effective training would take that list of characteristics and give a medical professional the skills and knowledge of particular culture in order NOT to offend them.  Culturally appropriate is one way of saying “not offensive.”

The same study mentioned above relates that in cases where there is a lack of formal culture specific training, many of the residents developed coping mechanisms from trial and error rather than skills to avoid error and misunderstanding. 1

Other studies cited report that African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans were more likely than white patients to say that their doctors did not listen or they did not understand what they were being told. Cultural differences between patients and their doctors influence communication, which can impact the decision making of both parties, ultimately having a direct effect on health outcomes. 1

I think that culture specific training should be a requirement, and it should be tailored to the community/environment of the provider.  Learning the appropriate cultural skills and communication styles and preferences for the culture of your patients, in my opinion, would be something a patient would not find offensive, but rather something one would appreciate.

References

1.	Park ER, Betancourt JR, Kim MK, Maina AW, Blumenthal D, Weissman JS. Mixed Messages: Residents’ Experiences Learning Cross-Cultural Care. Academic Medicine. Sep 2005;80(9):874-880.