Caring for Patients From Different Cultures

Geri-Ann Galanti
Third Edition

What happens when a Cherokee patient summons a medicine man to the hospital, or when an Anglo nurse refuses to take orders from a Japanese doctor? Why do Asian patients rarely ask for pain medication, while Mediterranean patients seem to seek relief for even the slightest discomfort?

If the goal of the American medical system is to provide optimal care for all patients, healthcare providers must understand cultural differences that create conflicts and misunderstandings and can result in inferior medical care.

Caring for Patients from Different Cultures contains over 200 case studies illustrating cross-cultural misunderstanding and culturally competent healthcare. The chapters cover a diverse range of topics, including birth, end of life, traditional medicine, mental health, pain, religion and multicultural staff issues.

"A must read for any healthcare professional."-Caregiver Journal

Geri-Ann Galanti is on the faculty of the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Los Angeles, the Division of Nursing at California State University, Dominquez Hills, and the Doctoring Curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine.

University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003, Softcover, 296 pp.

Medicine's 10 Greatest Discoveries Book

Meyer Friedman and Gerald W. Friedland

In 1675, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, an unlearned haberdasher from Delft, placed a drop of rainwater under his microscope and detected thousands of tiny animals in it. Leeuwenhoek proceeded to examine the microscopic activity of his spittle, teeth plaque and feces, and as the result of his findings the field of bacteriology was born. Some two hundred years later, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Wurzburg, invited his wife to his laboratory, asked her to place her hand on an unexposed photographic plate, turned on an electric current and showed this terrified woman a picture of the bones of her hand. And so came the discovery of the X-ray.

This absorbing book is the first to describe these and eight other monumental medical discoveries throughout history, bringing to life the scientific pioneers responsible for them and the excitement, frustrations and jealousies that surrounded the final achievements.

Meyer Friedman, MD, the discoverer of Type A behavior and its relation to heart discease, is director of the Meyer Friedman Institute, Unvieristy of California San Francisco-Mount Zion Medical Center.

Gerald W. Friedland, MD is professor emeritus in the department of radiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the author of many books and articles dealing with radiology, anatomy, embryology, physiology and the history of medicine.

Yale press, 2000, Softcover, 296 pp.

Probability Without Equations: Concepts for Clinicians

Bart K. Holland

Although few physicians, nurses, dentists and other health professionals perform laboratory tests themselves, they all need to be able to interpret the results as well as understand findings reported in the medical literature. A general understanding of probability and statistics is essential for those needing to make daily decisions about the significance of research data, drug interaction precautions or a patient's positive laboratory test for a rare disease. Written with these needs in mind, Probability without Equations offers a thorough explanation of the subject without overwhelming the reader with equations and footnotes. Award-winning teacher Bart Holland presents a nontechnical treatment of intuitive concepts and presents numerous examples from medical research and practice. In plain language, this book explains the topics that clinicians need to understand: Analysis of variance, "P values" and the "t-test", Hazard models, Regression and correlations, Alpha and beta errors.

"A good primer for the initiated or those requiring a refresher...Highly recommended for those requiring a brief, general overview of the subject." -Doody.com

Bart K. Holland is a consultant in probability and statistics for medical applications and has been involved with the design and analysis of many clinical trials. He has also taught probability, biostatistics and epidemiology for more than ten years at the New Jersey Medical School, where he is an associate professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health.

Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997, Softcover, 128 pp.

Spanish for Urologists

Se habla espanol? If not , this little handbook is just what you need.

Divided into eight separate section headings including "The Basics", "Asking Questions", "Common Presentations", Physical Exam", "Surgery Consents", "Office Procedures", "Postop Care" and "When you are in a bind", this practical guidebook of the most common urological conditions can help you better communicate with patients. Developed for practicing urologists and residents alike, this handy guide is designed to fit ito your pocket for easy reference.

The Stone Problems of Urinary Bladder and the Bladder Incision

This book highlights Vincenz Kern's life work to transform surgery from a craft to a science--documenting the birth of endourology--and includes several of Kern's published descriptions on bladder stones and lithotomy.

The debate lithotomy versus lithotripsy, Kern versus Civiale, is not only a final example of a traditional academic dispute, but also documents the birth of a new specialty, endourology. Surprisingly, the reduced invasiveness of the new method--not "cutting for the stone" by employing new technology--is not debated. The main driving force for the victory march of minimally invasive procedures, namely the viewpoint of the patient, is here totally neglected. This raises the controversy from an academic dispute of mere historic interest to a fine example of a high-level, but misdirected experts' debate.

Writing, Speaking, and Communication Skills for Health Professionals

The Health Care Communication Group

Strong communication skills are required of today's healthcare practitioners. Medical writers, medical students, residents and postdoctoral associates, physicans, biomedical researchers, nurses, pharmacists and others in the allied health professions must develop and continue to improve their communication skills if they aspire to excellence in the medical and biological sciences. This book—a guide that belongs in the personal library of every healthcare professional-brims with practical advice on a broad range of essential medical communication skills.

"What a precious addition to my bookshelf! Both tyro and pro will find tips and tricks that no one formally teaches." -Abraham Verghese, MD

The authors are all experts in the field of health communications. Among their areas of expertise are public relations, medical editing and writing, teaching advanced writing and speaking skills, multicultural communication, collaborative adult learning, grant writing, management and medical statistics.

Yale Press, 2001, Softcover, 352 pp.