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Cultural Biases in Current Medical Practices with a Specific Attention to Orthopedic Surgery: a Review

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Abstract

Due to the increasing diversity within the United States population, there is an ever-increasing need for increased education on cultural literacy and tolerance in medical schools and residency programs. The purpose of this article was to review how a person’s culture can play a substantive role in effecting and influencing (1) medical diagnosis, (2) patient and health provider medical decision-making, (3) the patient’s perception of disease, and (4) the doctor-patient relationships. Many of the decisions we make as orthopedic surgeons must account for the patient’s cultural needs, as much of our work impacts patients’ daily activities and function. When considering the patient’s perception of disease, validated tools have been developed, such as the Patient-Specific Index, which can be used to assess the feelings, goals, and expectations of patients. Cultural competency should be a part of curricula at every level of medical education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oss Health, York, PA, USA

    Gracia Etienne

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences, South Orange, NJ, USA

    Todd P. Pierce

  3. Department of Orthopaedics, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue/ A40, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    Anton Khlopas, Morad Chughtai, Teva Y. Vogelstein & Michael A. Mont

  4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Miami/Florida International University, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Carlos J. Lavernia

  5. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Providence Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Craig M. Thomas

  6. Department of Urology, Glickman Urologic and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Charles S. Modlin

Authors
  1. Gracia Etienne
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  9. Michael A. Mont
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael A. Mont.

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Funding

This study was not funded.

Conflict of Interest

Michael A. Mont is a consultant for DJ Orhtopaedics, Johnson and Johnson, Medical Compression Systems, Merz, Orthosensor, Pacira, Sage Products Inc., Stryker, Tissue Gene, US Medical Innovations. He receives research support from DJ Orhtopaedics, Johnson and Johnson, National Institutes of Health (NIAMS and NICHD), Ongoing Care Solutions, Orthosensor, Stryker, Tissue Gene. He receives other financial or material support from Microport and Stryker. He is a board or committee member for AAOS. He is on editorial or governing board of American Journal of Orhtopedics, Journal of Arthroplasty, Journal of Knee Surgery, Orthopedics, and Surgical Technologies Internaitonal.

Todd P. Pierce is a consultant for Isto Biologics, and receives financial or material support from Shaklee, Inc.

Anton Khlopas declares he has no conflict of interest.

Morad Chughtai declares he has no conflict of interest.

Gracia Etienne declares he has no conflict of interest.

Carlos Lavernia is a consultant for Biomet and Zimmer, is a board or committee member of Florida Orthopedic Society, and is on editorial or governing board of Journal of Arthroplasty. He has stock or stock options in Johnson and Johnson, Stryker, Symmetry Medical, Wright Medical Technology, Zimmer.

Teva Vogelstein declares he has no conflict of interest.

Craig Thomas declares he has no conflict of interest.

Charles Modlin declares he has no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Etienne, G., Pierce, T.P., Khlopas, A. et al. Cultural Biases in Current Medical Practices with a Specific Attention to Orthopedic Surgery: a Review. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 5, 563–569 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0400-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0400-y

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