Cultural sensitivity in women’s health physiotherapy

Author(s): T. Wokoma - Pages: 53-56

Abstract

Culturally sensitive healthcare has been described by the Office of Minority Health of the US Department of Health and Human Services as care that reflects “[t]he ability to be appropriately responsive to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of groups of people that share a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic or cultural heritage”. It is characterized by patient-centred communication focused on the individual’s needs, values and wishes. Ethnic variation exists in the knowledge and prevalence of conditions addressed by women’s health physiotherapy. The reasons for differential outcomes are multifactorial, but culturally sensitive education and treatment, as well as improved access to care, are important to improve patient outcomes and eradicate disparities in care. Some of the barriers to access include: the negative attitude of healthcare professionals; language barriers; a lack of knowledge about entitlement; and a lack of support whennavigating a healthcare system with which patients may be unfamiliar. Some of these barriers can be overcome with organizational changes and lateral thinking. The establishment of trust and creation of a rapport may be restricted by time and service constraints, but these will offer improved outcomes in the long term. Effective translation services are vital. Practising cultural sensitivity includes greater self-awareness, improved knowledge and the respectful treatment of service users, which are all skills that can be developed over time. Improved cultural sensitivity leads to better outcomes for women, individual practitioners and organizations.