Page 21 - ASCO Cultural Competency Toolkit

While a clinician may not be familiar with every variation of a patient's culture and spiritual practice, taking the initiative to engage with the communities where care is being provided to learn more about the specific community practice in context is an important step. Remembering that the patient is the expert in their culture and experience; respectfully asking the patient about their beliefs and preferences that may impact their health and care is a good place to start. The AHRQ provides the following questions as examples to prompt patients in the context of their health care. (AHRQ, 2020)
▪ "Is there anything I should know about your culture, beliefs, or religious practices that would help me take better care of you?"
▪ "Do you have any dietary restrictions that we should consider as we develop a food plan to help you lose weight?"
▪ "Your condition is very serious. Some people like to know everything that is going on with their illness, whereas others may want to know what is most important but not necessarily all the details. How much do you want to know? Is there anyone else you would like me to talk to about your condition?"
▪ "What do you call your illness and what do you think caused it?"
▪ "Do any traditional healers advise you about your health?"
Even in the face of missteps where culture and/or spiritual beliefs are not appropriately considered, there are ways clinicians can provide quality care by apologizing for cultural mistakes, asking the patient and/or family how the clinician can make their patient encounter more comfortable, being open and respectful to the patient’s concerns, observing body language, and continuing regular cultural competence and cultural humility training. (Swihar DL, et. al. 2021)
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