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CHALLENGES FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
Tens of millions of patients in the U.S. have limited English proficiency and poor health literacy,
making it difficult to ensure that they are receiving the care they need at the doctor’s office
and taking the appropriate steps to stay healthy after they go home. Implementing successful
programs to mitigate the development of disability in obese Hispanic/Latina and African
American women with OA provides many challenges for healthcare providers. In addition to
the areas addressed below, it’s helpful to remember that all obesity interventions:
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Must recognize the importance of cultural and language factors;
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Be aware that if other persons in the family “translate” for a patient, there is
always the issue of things being “edited” by the interpreter.
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Take into account traditional meals, food sources, family structure, eating
routine, and finances; and
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Focus on healthy eating and physical activity.
Understanding the Patient Population
After a diagnosis of OA, education will help patients compensate for and manage its effects
by adapting their usual activities; using assistive devices; and complying with medication,
exercise, and weight management programs. Helping patients accept their disease and
encouraging them to actively participate in the care process are essential. It is also important
to identify patients who are hiding their symptoms from healthcare professionals and trying to
self-manage their problems.
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Providers must, both individually and through their professional
organizations, explore self-awareness, recognize stereotyping and implicit bias, develop
culturally competent communications, and learn to explore patients’ views of pain, sickness,
and treatment, and provide patient-centered care.
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Providing Services that Reflect Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility
Cultural competence
is defined in many different ways: some think of it as cultural sensitivity
while others speak of anti-bias and still others consider it a cross-system, comprehensive
approach that embeds culture into care. Most descriptions contain common threads, including
the ideas that developing cultural competence is a process, that culture is learned, and
that self-awareness is critical.
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Cultural competence in health care describes the ability of
systems and healthcare professionals to provide high quality care to patients with diverse
values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural and
linguistic needs.
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By tailoring services to an individual’s culture and language preference,
health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations.
The provision of health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health
beliefs, practices and needs of diverse patients can help close the gap in health care
outcomes.
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Cultural humility
a concept proposed by Tervalon and Murray-Garcia in 1998,
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uses self-
reflection and discovery in order to build honest and trustworthy relationships. It involves
being flexible and humble enough to assess anew the cultural dimensions of the experience
of each patient and let go of the false sense of security that stereotyping brings.
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Many