Reference no: EM133712248

Question: how should I respond to classmate: How do patients across cultures prefer to make medical decisions? I would've assumed that patients across cultures would differentiate in their preferences in making medical decisions, but after learning more from Chapter 11 in our textbook I was proven wrong.

In cultures that exist in China, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States some studies found similarities when it came to patients' preferences on their medical decisions. Bennett, Smith, and Irwin conducted a study comparing these countries and their patient preferences for medical decision-making resulting in a finding that states "students from Australia, China, and the United States overwhelmingly prefer joint decision-making with their doctors" (Neuliep, 2021). They ultimately came to the conclusion that instead of these cultures differentiating they found a "cultural similarity" in their study (Neuliep, 2021).

I wouldn't have thought that there would be more correlations when it came to the topic of patient involvement in the healthcare environment. Even with the study from Akashi, Alden, and Merz, where they evaluated patients from Japan and the United States, there were similarities in the involvement that the patients pursued when it came to medical decision-making (Neuliep, 2021).

What we can take away from patients across cultures and their preferences in decision-making would be their involvement in their medical decisions. I would want patient and provider collaboration and include my involvement in the medical decision-making that would need to take place. What are some of the factors that affect patient-provider communication?

Factors that could affect patient-provider communication could be the individualism and collectivism that the patient holds within their way of communicating. In Chapter 11, a study was conducted to observe the influence that individualism and collectivism have on a patient's preferences in medical decision-making. Kim, Smith, and Yueguo found that collectivism levels were linked to decisions made by providers or families, while individualism correlated with joint or patient-led decision-making, but not with family or provider-led decisions (Neuliep, 2021).

Another factor that lies in patient-provider communication is the presence of empathy. In the study conducted by Sleath, Rubin, and Arrey-Wastavino, empathy conveyed by providers was measured when it came to the different interactions between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients showing similar results in empathy (Neuliep, 2021). Although, another finding they encountered was that "both Black Americans' and Hispanics/Latinos' doctors less often cited their own experiences or scientific research as a reason for treatment recommendations" (Neuliep, 2021).

This lack of empathy can affect the way the patients understand what the provider is communicating to them. A good way to exemplify an improved way of communicating would be to find relational empathy between both patient and provider. Are learning styles among students different across cultures? Explain. Yes, learning styles among students differentiate across cultures. With factors such as individualism and collectivism, there are learning styles that can feel more comforting towards each influence. Yamakazi in Chapter 11, conducted a study comparing students from Japan and the U.S. and found that the Japanese because of their collectivistic culture nudges them toward a diverging learning style (Neuliep, 2021).

For the student from the U.S., their learning style was directed toward a converging learning style due to the individualism that they're influenced by. According to David Kolb, people who exemplify diverging learning styles have "broad cultural interests, being interested in people, enjoying group work, and tending to be imaginative and creative" and people with converging learning styles prefer practical applications of information, favoring technical tasks over social