Culture, demographics, and critical care issues: an overview

The population dynamic and the immigration trends in the United States continue to challenge health care professionals who each day must serve an increasingly diverse population. Today's physicians must not only have a solid background in medical sciences but they must also have knowledge of how culture, race, and ethnicity impact how patients view and accept traditional Western practices. Whether doctors and patients are close in the "context spectrum" will often determine their ability to communicate beyond the spoken language. According to a report of the American Medical Association, by the year 2000, out of a total 812,770 physicians, only 2.5% were Black, 3.5% Hispanic, and 8.9% Asian. Only a fraction of a percent was American Native/Alaskan Native. Therefore, the majority of the physicians are Caucasian, and it could be assumed that they would likely be accustomed to high-context communication styles. The gross of the demographic changes and population increases in the United States during the past 10 years can be attributed to immigration from regions of the world where low-context communication styles are prevalent. Such differences between physicians and patients can create difficult, tense situations in an already charged atmosphere as can be that of a critical care unit.