Synopsis
The book contains no figures.
Cathy Lazarus
This is an annotated listed of resources available from a variety of organizations and national agencies focusing on cultural competence. According to the editor, "The purpose is to serve as a foundation for the development of initiatives and resources to move the medical profession and the public to create behavioral and institutional changes that will enable physicians to provide individualized care that respects the multiple cultures of their patients." This is a worthy goal, and while the book is a useful resource, clearly other strategies and methods will be needed. The editor accurately describes the book as a "point of departure" and a "work in progress." This book is targeted to physicians and organizations interested in improving cultural competence. The editor uses a broad definition of culture: "any group of people who share experiences, language, and values that permit them to communicate knowledge not shared by those outside the culture." This definition recognizes that medicine itself is a powerful culture. Professional organizations, societies, consumer groups, written and electronic resources in the areas of communication, curriculum and training materials, specific populations, complementary and spiritual practices, and patient support materials are all covered. AMA publications and documents are extensively referenced. A particular strength is the inclusion of a section on relevant materials from nursing and other health professions — those who are clearly ahead of the medical profession in recognizing and providing training in cultural competence. A particular shortcoming of the book is its organization and repetition. Also, there are no illustrations or anindex. While this book is clearly an important contribution to a field that has received inadequate attention from organized medicine, there is room for improvement in subsequent editions. There was no clear explanation anywhere in the book about why the references or organizations included were chosen, other than the sponsoring organization, the AMA. The references are not complete and many are repetitive. I found the book hard to use and the absence of an index was significant. I look forward to the editor's plan to make this a searchable online database.
Editorials
Reviewer: Cathy J Lazarus, MD(Tulane University School of Medicine)
Description: This is an annotated listed of resources available from a variety of organizations and national agencies focusing on cultural competence.
Purpose: According to the editor, "The purpose is to serve as a foundation for the development of initiatives and resources to move the medical profession and the public to create behavioral and institutional changes that will enable physicians to provide individualized care that respects the multiple cultures of their patients." This is a worthy goal, and while the book is a useful resource, clearly other strategies and methods will be needed. The editor accurately describes the book as a "point of departure" and a "work in progress."
Audience: This book is targeted to physicians and organizations interested in improving cultural competence. The editor uses a broad definition of culture: "any group of people who share experiences, language, and values that permit them to communicate knowledge not shared by those outside the culture." This definition recognizes that medicine itself is a powerful culture.
Features: Professional organizations, societies, consumer groups, written and electronic resources in the areas of communication, curriculum and training materials, specific populations, complementary and spiritual practices, and patient support materials are all covered. AMA publications and documents are extensively referenced. A particular strength is the inclusion of a section on relevant materials from nursing and other health professions — those who are clearly ahead of the medical profession in recognizing and providing training in cultural competence. A particular shortcoming of the book is its organization and repetition. Also, there are no illustrations or an index.
Assessment: While this book is clearly an important contribution to a field that has received inadequate attention from organized medicine, there is room for improvement in subsequent editions. There was no clear explanation anywhere in the book about why the references or organizations included were chosen, other than the sponsoring organization, the AMA. The references are not complete and many are repetitive. I found the book hard to use and the absence of an index was significant. I look forward to the editor's plan to make this a searchable online database.
Cathy Lazarus
This is an annotated listed of resources available from a variety of organizations and national agencies focusing on cultural competence. According to the editor, "The purpose is to serve as a foundation for the development of initiatives and resources to move the medical profession and the public to create behavioral and institutional changes that will enable physicians to provide individualized care that respects the multiple cultures of their patients." This is a worthy goal, and while the book is a useful resource, clearly other strategies and methods will be needed. The editor accurately describes the book as a "point of departure" and a "work in progress." This book is targeted to physicians and organizations interested in improving cultural competence. The editor uses a broad definition of culture: "any group of people who share experiences, language, and values that permit them to communicate knowledge not shared by those outside the culture." This definition recognizes that medicine itself is a powerful culture. Professional organizations, societies, consumer groups, written and electronic resources in the areas of communication, curriculum and training materials, specific populations, complementary and spiritual practices, and patient support materials are all covered. AMA publications and documents are extensively referenced. A particular strength is the inclusion of a section on relevant materials from nursing and other health professions — those who are clearly ahead of the medical profession in recognizing and providing training in cultural competence. A particular shortcoming of the book is its organization and repetition. Also, there are no illustrations or anindex. While this book is clearly an important contribution to a field that has received inadequate attention from organized medicine, there is room for improvement in subsequent editions. There was no clear explanation anywhere in the book about why the references or organizations included were chosen, other than the sponsoring organization, the AMA. The references are not complete and many are repetitive. I found the book hard to use and the absence of an index was significant. I look forward to the editor's plan to make this a searchable online database.2 Stars from Doody