Both Lee’s and Thao’s stories provide an intriguing framework when it comes to differing healing and treatment options of the distinctive health conditions. As Fadiman (1997b) indicated, Lia’s seizures were misdiagnosed because of the hospital staff’s inability to communicate with her parents. Cultural background, as well as practices of traditional remedies create severe limitations in the modern healthcare industry, introducing a shift from conservative to alternative treatment (Bates, 2002). While Lia suffered from a physical disease, Thao faced depression, struggling to adjust to the specialties of the westernized culture (Fadiman, 1997a). With alternative treatment growing in popularity, it is yet essential to differentiate the effectiveness of the non-traditional practices in terms of patient’s safety and comfort.
It is difficult to overestimate the role of medical interpreters when it comes to working with patients from other cultures. Tools such as LanguageLine do not only improve the level of understanding between practitioners and hospitalized individuals but also increase patient satisfaction and facilitate readmission reductions. Regular usage of the aforementioned services demonstrates staff’s dedication toward delivering best quality of care possible disregarding cultural barriers. Since the US society is composed of a multitude of nations, it is critical to find a way to incorporate various cultural backgrounds for a more competent healthcare. Several ways to tackle the issue include conducting staff trainings aimed at raising multicultural awareness, as well as forming ethnically diverse teams at the workplace for a wider range of perspective (Singer & Baer, 2011). Interests of minorities should be taken into account; with their needs effectively accommodated in the community through the usage of medical interpreters, support groups, and counseling.
References
Bates, D. G. (2002). Why not call modern medicine “Alternative?”The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 583, 12-18. Web.
Fadiman, A. (1997a). Notes on Hmong orthography, pronunication, and quotations. Notes on sources. In The spirit catches you and you fall down (pp. 305-308). New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Fadiman, A. (1997b). Preface. In The spirit catches you and you fall down (pp. 7-153). New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Singer, M., & Baer, H. (2011). Understanding health, illness, and disease. In Introducing medical anthropology: A discipline in action (2nd ed., pp. 77-115). Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.