Cultural Competence in Refugee Health Care Lance A. Rasbridge, PhD - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Cultural Competence in Refugee Health Care

Lance A. Rasbridge, PhD

Coordinator, Refugee Outreach Program Parkland Hospital Lance.Rasbridge@phhs.org

Culture

• Definition- “complex whole…”
• Individuals are part of many different

cultures

• Influences an individual’s health beliefs,

practices, behaviors, and even outcomes

• f medical treatments

Competence

• Acknowledgement of the importance of

culture

• Knowledge is not encyclopedic
• Ongoing, not static
• Based on the fundamental of cultural

relativism

Why is Cultural Competence in Health Care Important?

• Reduce barriers to access
• Improve adherence to treatment
• Improve health outcomes
• Eliminate health disparities
• Ethics- Patient-centered care

Caveats

• Diversity within all cultures, be careful of

stereotyping

• Culture is dynamic, especially in the

process of acculturation

• Be prepared to negotiate or suggest

alternatives to undesirable practices

Southeast Asian Refugees

• Cambodians
• Laotians
• Vietnamese
• Hmong, Montagnards
• Burmese ethnic

minorities

• (Bhutanese)

Southeast Asian Medical Beliefs and Practices- Etiology

• 1. Spiritual- Buddhist, folk
• 2. Natural- balance, humours,

yin/yang

• 3. Western- biomedical

Buddhism

• Symbols

“Thanakaa”

• Betel nut

• Nutrition

Coining

Cupping

Pinching

Traditional medicines

Chinese medicine

Postpartum practices

Biomedical setting