Virtual Mentor. August 2007, Volume 9, Number 08

Ethics Poll

Intercultural Patient-Physician Communication

The Ethics Poll is a snapshot of the opinions of interested readers.

As a patient, have you experienced stereotype-based assumptions because of your color, ethnicity, country of origin, sex, age, or appearance?
Yes.
No.

Difficulties in patient-physician communication are well documented. Which party do you think is more responsible; that is, who contributes more to the problem?
Patients who have limited English proficiency or low health literacy.
Physicians who do not know how to make themselves understood by their patients.
I don't know.

As part of your professional education, how much formal training have you received in intercultural communication?
None.
Some, but not enough to give me confidence in intercultural communication.
Enough to give me confidence in intercultural communication.
I have no professional education.

View results
Poll results reflect the opinions of visitors to the site who voluntarily answer the poll questions. Those visitors do not represent a random sample of Virtual Mentor readers. The viewpoints expressed on this site are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AMA.