Clinical Competence in Treating Patients From Other Cultures

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Clinical Competence in Treating PatientsFrom
Other Cultures

• By J. David Kinzie, M.D.
• Professor of Psychiatry
• Oregon Health Science University

Intercultural Psychiatric Program
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Donald E. Brown - List of Human
UniversalsBehavior and overt language noted in
all cultures about 400 items up to 1991
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1. Respects all cultures like patient from other
cultures.
2. Understand your own cultural identity
beliefs, attitudes, and prejudices.
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3. Find out patients cultural identity, i.e.,
subculture, comfort with culture of origin.
4. Have a culturally sensitive environment,
critical mass of patients and all staff
respectful and sensitive.
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5. Be clinically competent, take a thorough
history without being rushed, thorough past
history, patients place in family, and society
changes that occurred through trauma and
migration there are times to be silent.
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6. Be sensitive to communication patterns, i.e.,
prejudice of interpreter, patients non-verbal
communication, your non-verbal communication.
7. Dont over interpret culture or trauma. Other
parts of a patients life may be more important
to him or her.
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8. Be aware of cultural societal or political
influences on a group. 9/11 effects on Muslims,
election in Guatemala, war scenes from Iraq.
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9. Be active and involved and jointly develop an
agreement on target symptoms and treat those
effectively.
10. Join in the cultural groups activities, i.e.,
TET for Vietnamese, end of Ramadan for Muslims,
Cinco de Mayo.
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11. Avoid rules of proper behavior, be warm,
human, not stiff and formal.
12. Use humor, self-effacing , be gentle.
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Intercultural Psychiatric Program