Friday, November 25, 2011

Dao Management Consulting Services, Inc.: Series: Cultural Knowledge a Key Competency in Car...

Dao Management Consulting Services, Inc.: Series: Cultural Knowledge a Key Competency in Car...: Understanding cultural geography and the influence of sub-cultures As care coordinators have the role and responsibility of negotiating an...

Series: Cultural Knowledge a Key Competency in Care Coordination Part III

Understanding cultural geography and the influence of sub-cultures

As care coordinators have the role and responsibility of negotiating and accessing health services for their consumers/patients, it is vital for them to know and understand that cultural geography and sub-cultures have an impact in the way people understand and utilize services. For example: In Guatemala there are many different types of Indigenous tribes/groups. Maya continues to be the strongest and more prominent indigenous group.

On an article published by Wikipedia, "Medical Anthropologists such as Richard N. Adams, Benjamin D. Paul, and Lois Paul wrote monographs dedicated to the Maya medical beliefs and practices. Richard N. Adams, albeit secondary to his work, described the chasm between Maya medical beliefs and practices and Western science, and showed why Mayans rejected projects applied by the Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama (INCAP). His work is seen as setting the stage for four decades for medical anthropology in Guatemala by diagnosing the communication breakdown caused by “ignorance of local beliefs and practices.” Many of those once affiliated with INCAP have since published works on various topics of interest to medical anthropology in Guatemala.

In the 20th century, several things came to undermine the indigenous way of practicing medicine. The religious groups persecution prohibited the practice of indigenous medicine and from consulting traditional healers. The Guatemalan national health care system, based heavily on Western medicine, began to suppress traditional healers by banning them from practicing. While the health care system made efforts to train local midwives, some persons accused those programs of not giving culturally appropriate, high-quality services.

The disparity between Western biomedicine and traditional care has created tensions, i.e., NGO programs primarily focus today on those with higher education levels—those who speak Spanish—and rivalries hamper communication between Western-trained health care providers and traditional practitioners. Additionally, the medical professionals of Western biomedicine neglect the social experience of the patients, as well as the social construction of disease"

The reason why we present this article is because in the USA we have many different people trying to access health care services and navigate the health care system that may have barriers due to their cultural beliefs, education, traditional beliefs, cultural values, and hundred of years legacy in practicing traditional medicine, which they bring with them to the USA.

The Guatemala example is just one of so many. Care coordinators will benefit in understanding how a single population has a vast diversity of cultures and traditions. We cannot generalize and assume that because some groups speak the same or similar language that their cultures are the same.

Please post your comments, questions, and feedback, we are always eager to learn from you!

Helen Dao, MHA

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Arab Americans and Disabilities Conference on December 10, 2011

I want to extend an invitation to please attend this excellent upcoming conference. It will be full of great information and resources for professionals and families.

Here is the link to register:

http://rwjms.umdnj.edu/boggscenter/conferences/boggs_conf.html


Helen Dao, MHA