Elevating Multicultural Perspectives in Global Medical Engagement

Cheryle Barnett

Todd Parker

Over the past several years, multicultural considerations in healthcare, including health equity and health literacy, have risen to the forefront as public interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion has become a topic of broad discussion. Patients feel the emotional and cultural support they receive from the medical community is lacking, and doctors may fail to understand and respond to cultural factors, such as unique lifestyle or health journey aspects that impact their norms and influence their experiences. This creates a doctor-patient relationship that lacks connection and honest dialogue even when trust is present. With the passage of the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act (FDORA) in December 2022, as well as the increased emphasis on improving diversity in clinical trials and the importance of social determinants of health for underrepresented populations, medical communication professionals must engage with healthcare professionals and patients across the global, multicultural landscape. Embracing cultural diversity is now even more crucial for effective medical communications and better patient outcomes.

Medical communication professionals should recognize the importance of cultural nuances and differences between healthcare providers and patients, which can include language barriers, historical events, subcultures, unique patient journeys, and sensitivity to certain lifestyle/family/health topics. For example, some cultures may have specific beliefs or practices around discussing illnesses or death. Failure to grasp these nuances can severely hamper the doctor-patient relationship, impacting adherence and continuity of care. Developing cultural competence by learning about different cultures and enhancing awareness of bias that impacts the ability to demonstrate sensitivity are vital for healthcare professionals.

Content and communications must ensure resonance and authenticity to effectively impact patient outcomes. Cultural and social determinants strongly shape healthcare utilization and health equity for multicultural patients. The inability to communicate effectively with these patients can result in misdiagnoses, errors, increased stress for patients due to a feeling of isolation/alienation, and reduced adherence to treatment programs. Ultimately, patient outcomes are compromised.

To truly address multicultural considerations, it is essential to involve diverse groups, including multicultural patients, opinion leaders, advocacy groups, community representatives, and representatives from regional teams. Their perspectives ensure cultural nuances are captured and communication approaches are tailored appropriately to specific regions or populations. Collaborative inclusive practices, like engaging local patient advocates to gain insights about elements that may affect patient mindsets, can further strengthen medical communications and enhance cultural relevance.

When communicating across cultural backgrounds, medical communication professionals must remain adaptable and sensitive. Understanding the role of families in care decisions for certain cultures or being aware of practices like the use of traditional medicine allows for more productive healthcare discussions. Seeking insights from patient groups provides a deeper appreciation of culturally specific needs and concerns. Other elements that may help with bridging cultural gaps include the use of clear, jargon-free language, providing multilingual materials (although translations alone don’t consider cultural context), and training staff on cross-cultural communications that also recognize that diverse cultures are not monolithic. Fundamentally, a culturally sensitive approach centered on respect and open-mindedness is key.

In our increasingly interconnected world, multicultural considerations can no longer be an afterthought in medical communications. For optimal patient outcomes across all communities, industry experts must prioritize cultural competence as a core tenet driving their approach to medical communication. While complex, embracing the diversity of global audiences through inclusive collaboration and adaptable, tailored communication strategies is essential to building trust, facilitating honest health dialogues, and ensuring ethical and equitable engagement. Moreover, by embracing inclusive collaboration and adaptable communication strategies, this approach is the only viable path to effectively address and reduce health disparities that continue to persist in underrepresented populations.

Cheryle Barnett can be reached at cbarnett@fingerpaint.com and Todd Parker can be reached at tparker@medthinkscicom.com.