Managing Diversity in Health Care

Abstract

Introduction. Wholeness and Well--Being: In the Eye of the Beholder. Organization of the Contents. How to Use this Book. 1. Why Diversity is Good for Business: Marketplace and Workforce Issues. Demographics Changes: An Increasingly Complex Patient and Employee Base. What These Population Shifts Mean to Health Care. Meeting New Contractor and Managed Care Requirements. Analyzing the Challenges and Opportunities That Diversity Brings. 2. The Dimensions of Health Care Delivery. Personality: The Unique Core. Internal Dimensions of Diversity: Powerful Influencers of Identity, Opportunity, and Expectations. External Dimensions. Organizational Dimensions. Analyzing the Impact of Diversity Dimensions in Your Organization. Analyzing the Impact of Your own Diversity Dimensions on You as a Health Care Professional. Analyzing Your Own Attitudes Toward Differences. 3. The Truth About Cultural Programming. Realities of Cultural Programming. Dimensions of Culture that Influence Behavior. Questioning and Expanding Your Own Assumptions. 4. Achieving Practical Cultural Literacy. Factors that Influence Adherence to Norms. Definition and Perception of Illness and Health. Key Cultural Values Affecting Care. Non--Western Treatments. The Best of Both Worlds. Beliefs About Illness, the Body, and Its Functioning. Childbirth. Death and Dying. Family and Its Role. Cultural Beliefs About Health, Disease, and Healers. 5. Improving Communication in Diverse Environments. Language. Other Aspects of Communication. Assessing Intercultural Hooks that Block Communication. Learning About the Cultures You Serve. Getting Your Message Across: Directions and Feedback. Soliciting Information. Communicating Across Language Barriers. Getting Help in Interpreting. Culturally Sensitive Medical Interviews. 6. Removing Stereotypes That Block High--Quality Care. The Realities of Stereotypes. The Realities of Human Nature. Managing Your Biases: Suggestions for Fighting Stereotypes. 7. The Diversity Leadership Challenge. The Essentials of Diversity Leadership. Leadership Fulfilled: Steps Toward Lasting Change. 8. Overcoming Barriers to Change. Making Your Diversity Efforts Pay Off. Organizational Barriers to Diversity. 9. Creative Organizational Problem Solving. Demographics--driven Marketing. Kaiser Permanente Southern California Mentoring and Coaching. Providing Health Care to the Underserved: A Revolutionary Plan. A Systematic Commitment to Caring for the Underserved. Resources. Notes. Index.