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Caring for Patients from Different Cultures
What happens when a Cherokee patient summons a medicine man to the hospital, or when an Anglo nurse refuses to take orders from a Japanese doctor? Why do Asian patients rarely ask for pain medication, while Mediterranean patients seem to seek relief for even the slightest discomfort? If the goal of the American medical system is to provide optimal care for all patients, healthcare providers must understand cultural differences that create conflicts and misunderstandings and can result in inferior medical care. Geri-Ann Galanti's updated classic, Caring for Patients from Different Cultures , is even more comprehensive than the first three editions, containing new appendices for quick reference, an expanded and updated bibliography with Internet resources, and a detailed index. Caring for Patients from Different Cultures contains more than 200 case studies illustrating crosscultural misunderstanding and culturally competent health care. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including birth, end of life, traditional medicine, mental health, pain, religion, and multicultural staff issues. The case studies illustrate important concepts from the fields of cultural diversity and medical anthropology. This volume is an important resource for nurses and physicians in achieving cultural competency.
312 pages, Paperback
First published March 27, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 27, 2017
This has been the best school text I have read. I found it helpful and easy to read.
January 9, 2019
I love this as a resource for interpreters. It features a lot of case studies, and the book is divided by cultural Concepts. A very easy read that effectively highlights the need for cultural competence.
February 14, 2013
I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I purchased this book for my college Culture, Health, and Healing class and I am in no way affiliated with the author or the publishers.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: N/A
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: N/A
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: N/A
4. Strong Minor Characters: N/A
5. The Plot: The purpose of this book is to inform the medical staff or the general population that chooses to read this book is to practice cultural acceptance. This does not mean that one has to agree with everything about another’s culture, but one should be open minded about others’ cultures and how they practice it, especially when it comes to the medical field. I would not have picked this book up on my own, which is why I give the plot three stars. It is a very informative read, but I never would have heard of this normally. 3 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: The events in the book took place in hospitals and homes around the globe. Not much describing, since it is a teaching book, not a novel. 2 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: The words that all of the people from the case studies in the book spoke like real people, because they were real people. These are all true classes which makes the dialogue truly believable. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: N/A
9. Climax: N/A
10. Emotional Response: I really enjoyed reading the case studies. I thought that they were very interesting and entertaining. At times, I could not believe that people could be so cruel, but it was not intended. Ignorance is the true evil here. We all need to educate ourselves about someone else’s culture, before we decide that person’s merit. Something acceptable in your own culture might not be acceptable in others and vice versa. 3 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: N/A
12. The Writing: I really enjoyed the narrative writing style. The fact that the author is knowledgeable in the area that she is writing about is definitely a plus! Not a lot of authors actually experience what they are writing about. It makes everything more realistic, because authors who have experienced what they are writing about; deliver the message in a more believable way. The author has an enlightening point of view that could be useful to just about anyone who reads this book. Some points are a bit repetitive, but usually, the author was just trying to make a point of importance about something and wanted to make sure that she got her point across. 4 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: The cover is nothing spectacular, but I would never expect it to be so. It would be misleading to have any other cover than what this book has. That being said, it is a very suiting book cover and not much could improve it. 4 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: This book is a medical book and it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. It is quite refreshing for a change. This is a book that was a joy to read after reading so many paranormal novels. 5 out of 5 stars
15. Title: The title is long, but direct. It tells you exactly what the book is going to be about and where the book is going. 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give this book 3.75, which I will round up to a 4. It was a refreshing read about medical information and culture, but it was also very informative but at the same time did not read like a textbook.
1. Strong Main Character/ Female Heroine: N/A
2. Strong Main Character / Male Hero: N/A
3. Strong Main Character / Evil Antagonist: N/A
4. Strong Minor Characters: N/A
5. The Plot: The purpose of this book is to inform the medical staff or the general population that chooses to read this book is to practice cultural acceptance. This does not mean that one has to agree with everything about another’s culture, but one should be open minded about others’ cultures and how they practice it, especially when it comes to the medical field. I would not have picked this book up on my own, which is why I give the plot three stars. It is a very informative read, but I never would have heard of this normally. 3 out of 5 stars
6. The Setting: The events in the book took place in hospitals and homes around the globe. Not much describing, since it is a teaching book, not a novel. 2 out of 5 stars
7. The Dialogue: The words that all of the people from the case studies in the book spoke like real people, because they were real people. These are all true classes which makes the dialogue truly believable. 5 out of 5 stars
8. Engaging Surprises: N/A
9. Climax: N/A
10. Emotional Response: I really enjoyed reading the case studies. I thought that they were very interesting and entertaining. At times, I could not believe that people could be so cruel, but it was not intended. Ignorance is the true evil here. We all need to educate ourselves about someone else’s culture, before we decide that person’s merit. Something acceptable in your own culture might not be acceptable in others and vice versa. 3 out of 5 stars
11. Ending: N/A
12. The Writing: I really enjoyed the narrative writing style. The fact that the author is knowledgeable in the area that she is writing about is definitely a plus! Not a lot of authors actually experience what they are writing about. It makes everything more realistic, because authors who have experienced what they are writing about; deliver the message in a more believable way. The author has an enlightening point of view that could be useful to just about anyone who reads this book. Some points are a bit repetitive, but usually, the author was just trying to make a point of importance about something and wanted to make sure that she got her point across. 4 out of 5 stars
13. The Artwork: The cover is nothing spectacular, but I would never expect it to be so. It would be misleading to have any other cover than what this book has. That being said, it is a very suiting book cover and not much could improve it. 4 out of 5 stars
14. Genre: This book is a medical book and it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is. It is quite refreshing for a change. This is a book that was a joy to read after reading so many paranormal novels. 5 out of 5 stars
15. Title: The title is long, but direct. It tells you exactly what the book is going to be about and where the book is going. 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, I give this book 3.75, which I will round up to a 4. It was a refreshing read about medical information and culture, but it was also very informative but at the same time did not read like a textbook.
February 16, 2009
As someone who will be going into the medical field, this book provided a lot of very useful and interesting information. I learned a lot about providing effective care as well as insights into different cultures such as Jevovah's Witness, Gypsies, and other minority and subgroups. This book also managed to utilize useful stories that were also entertaining and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone in the health field, as well as anyone interested in learning about the dynamics of different cultures when it comes to medicine.
April 17, 2013
Its not too bad of a read. It contains different cultures and their general viewpoint of how they preceive health and health care management. It contains a lot of examples, some may say too many examples!
January 1, 2017
Learned a lot about different cultures but would have liked to see her expand a little more into some other cultures that are very prominent on the west coast such as Laotian, Vietnamese, and Phillipino.
July 5, 2014
Case studies make this one more interesting to read. But the author leans heavily on some generalizations so it's hard to take her seriously
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews