The US population is becoming increasingly diverse. About 25 million Americans have Limited English Proficiency. Eleven million are nonliterate in English. An estimated 93 million Americans have Basic or Below Basic Health Literacy. As medicine becomes more complex and specialized by the minute, the communication gulf between doctors and their patients is becoming progressively insurmountable. In order for us to provide quality care for all Americans, we need to become skilled in providing culturally effective care. The Stanford Cross Cultural Medicine Microlecture Series is a series of very short talks (2 minutes each typically), which aims to highlight key issues in cross-cultural encounters. We are the first to acknowledge how complex and challenging this topic is. Thus we seek to share our experiences and sights gained from clinical practice and research about this important issue, more as a starting point rather than as a “gold standard.” Our hope is that trainees and health personnel will use our microlecture series as a tool to pause and reflect about their own practice.
To learn more please watch the Stanford Cross Cultural Medicine Microlecture Series below, a series of very short talks highlighting key issues in cross-cultural encounters:
- Limited English Proficiency
- Working with Medical Interpreters
- Practical Tips
- Cultural Barrier
- Encounter Preparation
- Introduction
- During the Encounter
- Information Delivery
- Family Interpretation
- Information Withholding
- Obtaining Informed Consent
- Family Decision Making
- Proxy
- Non-verbal Communication
- Rituals and Religions
- Therapeutic Touch
- Mental Health Issues
- Clinical Study Recruitment
