Question

Describe the effect of cultural diversity on the health care industry. Recognize the need for intervention plans that are holistic and culturally relevant.

Answer 1

Medicine is a highly homogenous field serving diverse populations and that’s a problem. Diversity in health care goes far beyond a language barrier. It’s about understanding the mindset of a patient within a larger context of culture, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic realities.

When a homogenous workforce is tasked with caring for an extremely diverse array of patients, the quality of care can suffer. Health disparities affect segments of the population differently. Attitudes toward health care and treatment can vary among different populations. Medical professionals need to provide custom care that acknowledges and recognizes these differences. The medical field needs to diversify in order to serve its diverse patient population.

• Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately absent from medicine.
• Almost two-thirds of practicing physicians and surgeons are male.
• Additionally, the majority of medical students come from affluent, higher socioeconomic status backgrounds.
• In terms of faith, medicine remains a largely Christian profession.
• Sexual and gender diversity in the medical field is lacking extensive research.

While it’s true the medical profession is making great strides in welcoming a broader spectrum of doctors, there is still a ways to go. And the lack of diversity in health care can have detrimental effects on patients. A lack of diversity in medicine proves troubling for patients seeking physicians who are knowledgeable about their specific needs. “The more diverse the people are who provide medical care, the better they can respectfully and knowledgeably assist their patients.” A homogenous workforce limits the capabilities of medicine, containing it within the parameters of a single lens and a particular set of values. The medical workforce should instead reflect the variety of patients for which they provide care.

Diversity in health care starts in medical school. When classes are more diverse, all classmates benefit from broadened perspectives. In fact, diversity in medical education environments can improve learning outcomes for all students. Diverse classrooms help students improve active thinking, intellectual engagement, social skills, empathy, and racial understanding — all critical components to a physician's education.
Diversity in health care isn’t about filling seats with mandated numbers. It’s about ensuring all backgrounds, beliefs, ethnicities, and perspectives are adequately represented in the medical field. It’s about providing the best possible care for a variety of patients by enlisting a variety of providers. And at the end of the day, it’s about providing the best possible care for all patients.