PHE101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Harry Oldmeadow, Intercultural Competence, Health Professional
Document Summary
Week 3a: health and culture: examine the ways language and culture influence health and illness. Culture affects people"s perceptions of health and illness, beliefs about causes of disease, approaches to health promotion, how illness and pain are experienced and expressed, where patients seek help, and the types of treatment patients prefer. It impacts on behaviour and the way we understand things. For language, words may have a different meaning in one culture compared to another so when we are actually translating words they could mean something completely different: describe the importance of cultural sensitivity. Cultural competence is the ability to effectively understand, communicate and interact with people across all cultures. Cultural competence encompasses being aware of one"s own world view, developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences. Cultural competency of health professionals is important in ensuring every person can receive appropriate health care when they need it: highlight the relevance of culture to the social determinants of health.
