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There are several barriers to developing successful strategies for the delivery of health care (Table 8.5). First, it is impossible to learn about every cultural or ethnic group that might seek health care. Second, relying on cultural stereotypes for guidance can result in conflict with those patients who show within‐culture variations or who have acculturated to the local norms. Third, if culture is viewed as an obstacle to overcome, rather than incorporated into the care plan, conflicts cannot be resolved. Finally, if the impact of the culture of biomedicine on provider–patient communication⁴⁶ is ignored, then problems with health literacy arise. Any of these barriers may lead to a failure either in compliance or in applying the best clinical approach.

Table 8.5 Barriers to successful, culturally appropriate health care delivery.

Large variety of culturesEffects of acculturationNegative effects of stereotypesComplexity of the culture of biomedicine

Cultural sensitivity is more a process than an outcome. It is as much about acceptance of differences as it is about knowledge of differences. The following section lists a number of common problems that may arise in clinical encounters between people with different cultural experiences. The subsequent section provides general strategies for addressing these problem areas.