Abstract
Few medical issues challenge the most experienced clinician as much as the “foreignness” of different cultures, especially when compounded by the mystery surrounding sex and sexuality. Respecting cultural differences as well as the need for sexual sensitivity can be daunting. For the clinicians, the suspicion or diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) is not about sex and relationships, but it is about disease. The patient’s concerns are the opposite. STIs have always been part of the human condition. In most cultures, sex and sexual relationships are considered private and personal. However, when there is a diagnosis of an STI, that privacy is laid open to physical examination, inquiry, reporting, and expectations of disclosure. Complex feelings of betrayal, confusion, embarrassment, vulnerability, or shame are common when a patient is told he or she has an STI. These feelings transcend all cultures.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Betancourt JR. Cultural competence—marginal or mainstream movement? N Engl J Med 2004; 351:953–955.
Dallabetta GA, Field ML, Laga M, Islam QM. STDs: Global burden and challenges for control. In: Dallabetta GA, Laga M, Lamptey PR, eds., Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Handbook for the Design and Management of Programs. Durham, NC: The AIDSCAP Electronic Library (Family Health International/The AIDS Control and Prevention Project), 1996. Available from: http://www.fhi.org/en/HIVAIDS/pub/guide/stdhand book/index.htm. Accessed Nov. 24, 2006.
National Iinstitutes of Health. Publication 98-4247. Women of Color Health Data Book: Asian Americans. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1998.
Andrews MM, Boyle JS. Transcultural Communication in Health Care, 3rd Ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams &Wilkins, 1999.
Spector RE. Cultural Diversity in Health &Illness, 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Health, 2000.
Medical Education Collaborative video. Culture, Women, and Healthcare: a Multicultural Approach to Patients. Golden, CO: Medical Education Collaborative, 2002.
Morris D. BodyTalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures. New York, NY: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994.
Kleinman A. Patients andHealers in the Context of Culture: An Exploration of the Borderland Between Anthropology, Medicine, and Psychiatry. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1980.
Management Sciences for Health and World Health Organization. Managing Drug Supply: The Selection, Procurement, Distribution, and Use of Pharmaceuticals, 2nd Ed. Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. 1997, p. 428.
Management Sciences for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau on Primary Health Care. The Provider’s Guide to Quality &Culture. Electronic Resource Center. Available from: http://erc.msh.org. Accessed Nov. 24, 2006.
Brach C, Fraser I. Can cultural competency reduce racial and ethnic health disparities? A review and conceptual model. Med Care Res Rev 2000; 57:181–217.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Humana Press Inc.,Totowa NJ
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nelson, A.L., Woodward, J., Wysocki, S. (2006). Cultural Competence in STI Care. In: Nelson, A.L., Woodward, J., Wysocki, S. (eds) Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Current Clinical Practice. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-040-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-040-9_14
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-570-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-040-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)