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TEXT 2
THE CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCTOR
1. Read and translate the text
1. Discuss the extent to which you believe doctors and patients
with the same cultural/racial background should be matched.
Then read the extract below and see if you agreed with the au-
thors. To summarise the main issues involved in working with pa-
tients from different cultural backgrounds:
It is not necessary to raise cultural or racial issues unless they are
important for the patient, or unless a misunderstanding might occur if
they are not addressed.
There is sometimes a misconception that a patient should be
matched to a doctor from the same cultural or racial background in or-
der to facilitate communication and enhance care. This may be desira-
ble for some patients, but for others, differences in background will
not be a barrier, or they may not be relevant to the treatment in any
way. The patient should be able to choose whom they wish to consult
and indicate how they wish to be treated; the doctor might ask, for ex-
ample:
Do you feel that it would be easier for you to see a doctor from a
similar background?
I can appreciate how frustrating it is to talk to someone who does
not share your culture (or speak your native tongue), but perhaps you
can let me know about cultural practices that are important for you to
follow when you are in hospital.
The doctor acknowledges that there are communication problems
and tries to work with the patient to overcome them. Alternatively,
some patients may choose a doctor from a different culture, preferring
not to disclose their illness to someone of their own background be-
cause they contracted it through an activity that is culturally unac-
ceptable. For other patients, a doctor of their own gender may be more
important than a doctor of their own culture. At times, matching only
serves to reinforce stereotypes that groups hold about one another. Al-
so, if a patient is matched with a doctor of the same culture, they may
expect the doctor to share their values; this might place a doctor
trained in a different culture system in an awkward position.