Introduction
Positive changes in the global demographic situation became the reason for particular concern about cultural issues in medicine. Many countries are becoming more multicultural, physicians are increasingly accepting patients from different sociocultural backgrounds, and consequently, health leaders are responsible for being culturally competent. Becoming multi-ethnic, the population expects an adequate patient-centered approach to medical care.
Main body
The culture is a matter of beliefs, values, and behaviors expected in social groups. It includes language, communication styles, practices, views on roles and relationships, influences, the image of the world and the interaction between patients and doctors (Douglas et al., 2018). Many people think of cultural competence only as the skill needed for removing language and cultural barriers. Whereas, proper doctor-patient interaction is associated with increased patient satisfaction, adherence to recommendations, and improved health. When sociocultural differences between patients and doctors are not studied and applied in practice, this can lead to patient dissatisfaction, non-compliance with recommendations, and harmful health consequences.
In addition, cultural competence has become a fundamental goal for practical reasons. Physicians in multinational countries face a wide range of patient perspectives on health. Therefore, many patients may present their symptoms in a completely different way from what would be expected from their illness; they may have different expectations from medical care, and their beliefs will affect whether they will follow the doctor’s recommendations.
Conclusion
To summarize, the responsibility of health care leaders to be culturally competent is undeniable, because it is the indicator of their ability to provide highly qualified assistance for patients belonging to different nations. Cultural competence has evolved from assumptions about patients based on their ethnicity to implementing principles that include learning, empathy, and responsiveness to patient values and preferences. Culturally competent health care leaders expanding this list to learn skills that are particularly useful for intercultural interactions.
Reference
Douglas, M., Pacquiao, D., & Purnell, L. (2018). Global applications of culturally competent health care: Guidelines for practice. Springer.