Cultural Considerations Essay

395 Words2 Pages
Cultural Considerations Keeping in mind one’s cultural background is crucial when it comes to the medical field. It is important in everyday life, but especially within the medical field. What one may deem appropriate another could deem completely inappropriate and disrespectful. An individual who works within the medical field could face grave consequences if a patient felt that their cultural beliefs had been disrespected. There are different contexts and different principles in which communication happens. Someone within the medical community must adhere to certain ethical principles. Treating patients with dignity and respect, honesty and trustworthy in their professional relationship, and ensuring patient confidentiality are a few examples of ethical principles on must adhere to within the medical field. The medical field must also adhere to the cultural context of communication. Cultural context portrays the diversity factors of relationships on a professional level. These factors include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, and gender. Body language and the amount of eye contact are other areas that should be taken into when interacting with someone from another culture. An individual communicates differently on a daily basis. It varies because of mood and behavioral influences. If one is in a bad mood they will typically communicate negatively and without thinking about the affects it may have on someone else. Regardless of how we communicate we need to realize that all communication is cultural. In essence, it portrays ways we have learned to speak and send nonverbal messages. Not only are there different principles and contexts to consider, but there are also cultural barriers. According to “Cultural Barriers to Effective Communication”(1998) there are three ways culture can interfere with communication. The

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