For healthcare providers, the key to bonding with patients is to have a
greater awareness of cultural differences.
The more you know about your patient's culture, the easier it is for
them to feel comfortable--with you and their treatment. You don't want
to lose a patient because you said something that you didn't even know
was offensive or that was simply mistaken for meaning something else.
In Pulling Wisdom: Filling the Gaps of Cross-Cultural Communication for
Healthcare Providers, Dr. Cathy Hung shares tips for seeing beyond
cultural stereotypes, raising your cultural competency, and bridging the
communication gaps between you and your patients to improve your
practice success. She also introduces concepts and tools such as The
Amalgamation Scale, which can predict and assess potential obstacles
based on the cultural and language barriers between provider and
patient.