Reference no: EM131772706

Part 1 100 words ea part , follow up response

Doctors have over many years held medical dominance over other health occupations. They had the upper hand because of the way the system was organized legally and structured functionally. Legally, universities were organized in a manner that was so expensive that only the middle to upper-class was able to afford to go.

Universities that were not able to comply with the legal structure eventually closed displacing African Americans, Catholics, Jews and women. This action made it possible for white males who fell in the middle to upper-class economic status to be separate from others. Doctors then became the top of the sphere giving them the dominant position over others who were of lesser economic status. In addition to medical universities being organized legally, the structure of the medical field placed doctors above other health care providers.

Doctors are able to evaluate, instruct and teach other health care providers but they don't yield to the help of others. It would be unheard of if someone who isn't a doctor should come into their profession and teach or instruct. Having a tight reign over their own profession gives doctors the liberty to operate with minimum outside oversight. Do you believe this practice continues?

Part 2

. What is cultural health capital?

Cultural health capital (CHC) can be defined as the relationship between a patient and a health care provider that is influenced by cultural beliefs and values. This relationship encompasses many aspects such as communication, attitude, and behavior (Dubbin, 2013). Both health care provider and patient must navigate the cultural health capital in order to establish a mutually agreeable patient centered relationship.

Individual cultures establish which areas of CHC is most important. In the United States, patients expect their providers to be well versed in conditions and ailments and the latest treatments available (Dubbin, 2013). It is likely that when a patient sees a doctor who is able to diagnose and treat an ailment quickly, the level of patient satisfaction will be high. In this way, cultural health capital and patient centered care go hand in hand.

Which populations are least likely to have cultural health capital?

The populations least likely to have cultural health capital are those in which there is a perceived inequality between doctor and patient.

This inequality might be seen in low income populations as well as minority populations. In certain cultures, this inequality might be seen between male doctors and female patients. Additionally, there may be a lack of CHC if there is a language barrier in play (Shim, 2010).
How does low cultural health capital affect doctor-patient relationships?

A low cultural health capital is associated with a poor doctor-patient relationship. In this situation, the patient may not receive proper or timely treatment, explanation, or follow-up care. Where there is a low CHC, health care providers might make treatment and care decisions based on negative opinions or judgments. For example, in a low CHC relationship caused by language barriers, a patient may not fully understand his/her condition, nor fully understand the way to take medication. If the CHC is affected by gender inequality, the male doctor may be unwilling to treat female problems, such as pregnancy, with compassion and care.