Culture as a Multidimensional Construct
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780190849986.003.0002
Despite years of training about how to care for others, many health care providers know little about themselves. This is nowhere more relevant than when caring for patients who come from cultures other than our own because in these clinical encounters, we may not recognize our own implicit biases. Our cultural identity as health care workers is multifaceted, including attitudes shaped by our life experience and those shaped by the culture of our health care system. This chapter discusses the concepts of culture and cultural self-awareness and introduces strategies that health care workers can use to understand their own cultural influences and consider how these may be impacting their clinical work. We present a case example that exemplifies the principles outlined in the chapter.
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