Problem
A devoted Muslim, Mrs. Abdul has recently emigrated from the Middle East to live with her daughter and son-in-law. The Abdul family are patients at the clinic where you have worked at as a Medical Administrative Assistant for about 4 months now. In that time, you have noticed that Mrs. Abdul has arrived late to all of her appointments. She arrived late for her appointment today and seemed reluctant to answer many of the questions that she was asked. Also, it is observed that Mrs. Abdul allows her daughter to speak for her most of the time. Previous efforts to communicate to Mrs. Abdul about her medical condition have been unsuccessful and this is affecting patient outcomes.
Mrs. Adbul's primary care physician, Dr. Jones has asked you to research the following:
1) Why a patient from another culture might be reluctant to answer questions.
2) Ways to make a patient from another culture feel more comfortable.
3) Ways staff can better communicate with patients from another culture.
Instructions
Send an email to your office with suggestions about using cross-cultural communication with patients. Use Mrs. Abdul (changing her name of course to protect her privacy) as an example. Be sure to include the following:
1) Define cross-cultural communication
2) Explain the benefits and key concepts of cross-cultural communication
3) Explain strategies of cross-communication
4) Use Mrs. Abdul (changing her name of course to protect her privacy) as an example.