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Transcultural Mediation in the Management of Cancer Patients in the Tropical Area

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Tropical Hemato-Oncology

Abstract

Disease is a shared social construction between society, the ill individuals, and healthcare professionals. In the medical context, however, two discourses are produced that often never dialogue with one another: the professional physician’s discourse and the patient’s discourse. In the context of chronic disease like cancer, patients are bound to take a more active role in treatment. Beyond the power issues raised within the traditionally paternalistic doctor/patient relationship, the necessity to make doctors’ and patients’ explanatory models of a disease meet has led to initiatives intending to facilitate communication between both: namely, transcultural mediation and culturally competent care. In this chapter, we outline medical anthropology’s contributions to understanding the confrontation of explanatory models of care between physicians and patients, we review the literature on cultural representations of cancer and their impact on communication in the healthcare context, and we discuss how transcultural mediation contributes to improving clinical communication and outcomes. We argue that transcultural mediation is particularly relevant to the multicultural context of tropical areas, using French Guiana as an example.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    2010 data, VICAN2 study 2012.

  2. 2.

    See French National Cancer Plan- objective 7– ensure global and personalized treatment: “Quality care implies providing the cancer patient with all means necessary to encourage his/her participation to treatment options.”

  3. 3.

    See French National Cancer Plan 2014–2017.

  4. 4.

    This first consultation was initially set up by the IPAOS Health and Culture Association.

  5. 5.

    Ongoing participatory action research project entitled “Developing transcultural competences for immigrant background healthcare practitioners” – leading investigators: Centre Babel and INSERM 669 – University Paris Descartes- sponsored by the Regional Health Agency (ARS-IDF).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medicine and Adolescent Psychopathology Department, Centre Babel, Maison de Solenn, Groupe Hospitalier Cochin, Paris, France

    Serge Bouznah MD

  2. Research and Teaching Department, Centre Minkowska, Paris, France

    Stéphanie Larchanché PhD

Authors
  1. Serge Bouznah MD
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  2. Stéphanie Larchanché PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Serge Bouznah MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Oncology, Claude-Bernard-Lyon1 University, Lyon, France

    Jean-Pierre Droz

  2. Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne, Cayenne, French Guiana

    Bernard Carme

  3. Service de dermatologie, Centre hospitalier de Cayenne, Cayenne, French Guiana

    Pierre Couppié

  4. Guyane, INSERM CIC 1424, Centre d'Investigation Clinique Antilles, Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne, Cayenne, French Guiana

    Mathieu Nacher

  5. Service d’hémato-oncologie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France

    Catherine Thiéblemont

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Bouznah, S., Larchanché, S. (2015). Transcultural Mediation in the Management of Cancer Patients in the Tropical Area. In: Droz, JP., Carme, B., Couppié, P., Nacher, M., Thiéblemont, C. (eds) Tropical Hemato-Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18257-5_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18257-5_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18256-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18257-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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