Document Type
Panel Presentation
Start Date
18-4-2019 10:45 AM
End Date
18-4-2019 12:00 PM
Keywords
disparities, culturally-sensitive, competence
Biography
I, Delaney Ellis, and a double major of Biology Pre-med and Spanish undergraduate student, as well as a member of the Marshall Honor College. In addition, I am the secretary of the Marshall University Scuba Club. I am from Charleston, West Virginia and my expected graduation date is in December of 2019.
Major
Biology and Spanish
Advisor for this project
Professor Burgueno
Abstract
There are many variables that influence the issue of the ability to provide culturally-sensitive healthcare with the goal of minimizing the disparities that are products of the insensitivities. This research is being conducted from the perspective of a pre-medical student attempting to utilize Hispanic language and cultural studies to construct a better ambition to preserve understanding of foreign customs as a future physician. Comparing cultures and customs, especially those in the ever-changing environment of a medical setting, can be difficult to evaluate definitive causes and effects. Therefore, this research is divided into two approaches; quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative approach delves into the measurable variables that are pertinent to “health status, access to care, and use of health services in children” (Flores, 2005), including statistics and sociodemographics, that have been derived in order to make conclusions about the impacts of disparities. The latter is explored through the use of interviews conducted through surveys, exploring the importance and relevance of this topic and opinions that suggest methods to obtain cultural competence and how these methods could be implemented in the future as a physician. There is an important focus on the perspective of patients belonging to a Spanish-speaking heritage. The objective of this research is to evaluate the variables of cultural disparities in health care, determine the effects of the said variables, and to propose a method for future implications of eliminating the disparities themselves to provide culturally sensitive healthcare.
Providing Culturally-Sensitive Health Care and Eliminating Disparities
There are many variables that influence the issue of the ability to provide culturally-sensitive healthcare with the goal of minimizing the disparities that are products of the insensitivities. This research is being conducted from the perspective of a pre-medical student attempting to utilize Hispanic language and cultural studies to construct a better ambition to preserve understanding of foreign customs as a future physician. Comparing cultures and customs, especially those in the ever-changing environment of a medical setting, can be difficult to evaluate definitive causes and effects. Therefore, this research is divided into two approaches; quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative approach delves into the measurable variables that are pertinent to “health status, access to care, and use of health services in children” (Flores, 2005), including statistics and sociodemographics, that have been derived in order to make conclusions about the impacts of disparities. The latter is explored through the use of interviews conducted through surveys, exploring the importance and relevance of this topic and opinions that suggest methods to obtain cultural competence and how these methods could be implemented in the future as a physician. There is an important focus on the perspective of patients belonging to a Spanish-speaking heritage. The objective of this research is to evaluate the variables of cultural disparities in health care, determine the effects of the said variables, and to propose a method for future implications of eliminating the disparities themselves to provide culturally sensitive healthcare.
