Virtual Mentor. August 2007, Volume 9, Number 8: 521-593. Full Issue PDF

August 2007 Contents

Language, Culture, and Belief in the Medical Encounter

Ethics Poll

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

From the Editor

Ethics and Multiculturalism in the Patient-Physician Encounter
Robert Deiss
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:523-526.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Western Medicine's Diagnostic Labels Are Not Universal
Commentary by Andres Sciolla
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:527-531.

Susto: Acknowledging Patients' Beliefs about Illness
Commentary by Lindia Willies-Jacobo
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:532-536.

Who Decides, Patient or Family?
Commentary by Jennifer Blanchard
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:537-542.

Journal Discussion

Tools for Culturally Effective Care Gleaned from Community-Based Research
Maria Luisa Zuniga
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:547-551.

Medical Education

Teaching Cultural Sensitivity through Literature and Reflective Writing
Ruby Roy
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:543-546.

Clinical Pearl

Diagnosis and Treatment of Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Adel Olshansky
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:552-554.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Legal Risks of Ineffective Communication
Abigail Van Kempen
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:555-558.

Policy Forum

Can the Care Be High Quality if the Communication Is Not?
Mara Youdelman
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:559-565.

Medicine and Society

Language Barriers and the Patient Encounter
Yolanda Partida
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:566-571.

Op-Ed and Correspondence

Op-Ed

Practicing Evidence-Based and Culturally Competent Medicine: Is it Possible?
Responses by Romana Hasnain-Wynia, Debra Pierce, Matthew Wynia and Megan Johnson
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:572-578.

History, Art, and Narrative

Medical Humanities

Use of Images in Public Health Campaigns
Allison Grady
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Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:583-590.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:583-590.

About the Contributors
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2007; 9:591-593.