Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication is the use of body language, gestures and languages in an attempt to bridge cultural differences in ethnicity, nationality, race and sexual orientation (Albert et al., 2020). This enables information exchange and negotiation in any group of people with cultural differences. Mrs Abdul is from a different race and ethnicity, prompting a need for cross-cultural communication.

Benefits of cross-cultural communication

Effective communication is key during patient care as it ensures that the healthcare provider can correctly carry out an examination, diagnose, treat and reassess the condition more appropriately (Gluyas, 2015). There are benefits associated with cross-cultural communication.  It helps to overcome cultural barriers between the patient and the healthcare provider. This ensures that there is an effective delivery of healthcare by creating a mutual understanding (Gillham et al., 2018). For Mrs Abdul to be holistically assessed and a proper treatment plan formulated, then there must be a clear understanding between her and her physician.  Improved health outcomes in an individual are also facilitated by cross-cultural communication. Mutual understanding between the patient and the healthcare drives out mistrust and fears of telling their belief. The patient will then openly share most information on their beliefs on the disease.

Cultural barrier is not only between the health-seeking and healthcare providers but also among the healthcare providers. Therefore, effective communication and a clear understanding of the condition are discussed among the healthcare providers to devise the most effective treatment ways.

Concepts of Cross-Communication

There are five key concepts in the learning model for cross-communication. These include listening skills, explaining, acknowledgement, recommendation and negotiation. This helps to create a mutual understanding of the patient’s care, resulting in more enhanced patient care. In the listening aspect, the medical provider tries to capture the patient’s understanding of the condition, the possible treatments and complications likely to occur post-treatment. Thereafter, explain to the patient by giving your perceptions on everything about the illness, keeping in mind their different understanding of illnesses. Acknowledging the different views, especially those of the patient, is important. Politely explain the differences in your views while trying to determine if a therapeutic dilemma may result from disparate belief systems. Develop the patient’s treatment plan and propose it to the patient and family. Negotiation to reach an agreement is important.

Strategies of Cross-Communication

Strategies of cross-cultural communication include non-verbal communication, avoiding generalization, working with an interpreter and understanding silence. Nonverbal communication involves the use of non-verbal cues, body language and tones of voice (Lorié et al., 2017). Awareness of these forms of communication can facilitate understanding between Mrs Abdul, the family and the physician. This strategy helps one win a patient’s trust. Cultural Interpreters are trained to keep the conversation between the physician and patient or family members ongoing. When care is provided in a language not understood by the patient, negative risk factors are more likely to be reported (Hohenstein et al., 2016). Poor health outcomes are noted for patients without translators, and cases of reporting late for appointments, for example, in Mrs Abdul’s cases, are noticeable. In Mrs Abdul’s case, the daughter is the interpreter, that is, a link between her and the doctor.

References

Albert, M., Rowland, P., Friesen, F., & Laberge, S. (2020). Interdisciplinarity in medical education research: myth and reality. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 25(5), 1243-1253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-020-09977-8

Gillham, D., De Bellis, A., Xiao, L., Willis, E., Harrington, A., Morey, W., & Jeffers, L. (2018). Using research evidence to inform staff learning needs in cross-cultural communication in aged care homes. Nurse Education Today, 63, 18-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.007

Gluyas, H. (2015). Effective communication and teamwork promote patient safety. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(49), 50. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.29.49.50.e10042

Hohenstein, C., Fleischmann, T., Rupp, P., Hempel, D., Wilk, S., & Winning, J. (2016). German Critical Incident Reporting System Database of Prehospital Emergency Medicine: Analysis of reported communication and medication errors between 2005–2015. World journal of emergency medicine, 7(2), 90. https://dx.doi.org/10.5847%2Fwjem.j.1920-8642.2016.02.002

Lorié, Á., Reinero, D. A., Phillips, M., Zhang, L., & Riess, H. (2017). Culture and nonverbal expressions of empathy in clinical settings: A systematic review. Patient education and counselling, 100(3), 411-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2016.09.018

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A devoted Muslim, Mrs. Abdul has recently emigrated from the Middle East to live with her daughter and son-in-law. The Abdul family are patients at the clinic where you have worked as a Medical Administrative Assistant for about 4 months now. At that time, you have noticed that Mrs. Abdul has arrived late to all of her appointments. She arrived late for her appointment today and seemed reluctant to answer many of the questions that she was asked. Also, it is observed that Mrs. Abdul allows her daughter to speak for her most of the time. Previous efforts to communicate with Mrs. Abdul about her medical condition have been unsuccessful and this is affecting patient outcomes.

Cross-Cultural Communication

Mrs. Adbul’s primary care physician, Dr. Jones, has asked you to research the following:

Why a patient from another culture might be reluctant to answer questions.
Ways to make a patient from another culture feel more comfortable.
Ways staff can better communicate with patients from another culture.

Instructions
Please write an email to your office with suggestions about using cross-cultural communication with patients. Use Mrs. Abdul (changing her name of course to protect her privacy) as an example. Be sure to include the following:

Define cross-cultural communication
Explain the benefits and key concepts of cross-cultural communication
Explain strategies for cross-communication
Use Mrs. Abdul (changing her name, of course, to protect her privacy) as an example