Thursday's presentation by Dr. Rojas-Guyler on health issues in the latino community focused in part on some of the major dilemmas therein. The "hispanic paradox" that results from these dilemmas strikes me as a bizarre and problematic phenomenon. Some of the problems faced by recent immigrants to the U.S. are unsurprising; factors such as financial limitations, access to transportation, and health-related knowledge are expected due to the high correlation between recent immigrant status and low socio-economic status. Additionally, the language barrier can create an obstacle for these individuals.
One problem I did not expect involves the role of doctor as authority figure. Out of respect for physicians and their position, many latino immigrants will defer to doctors to the point of not asking questions, not requesting clarifications, and not engaging in dialogue. I tend to take for granted that everyone approaches the doctor/patient relationship as one occurring in the arena of commerce and in which patients take ownership of their health. Culture as a barrier to this relationship, to the detriment of individual and family health, is quite a new concept to me.
The roles of doctors as authority figures was surprising to me as well. I knew about the attitudes towards teachers but I did not transfer it to the medical field.
ReplyDelete