International and Intercultural Communication Commons^™

Patient-Provider Interaction: Person Centered Approaches To Patient Diversity And Evidence For Training, Hannah O. Allison

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the role of culture in patient-provider interactions. Physicians in Northwest Arkansas were interviewed on their experiences with cultural differences in interactions with patients. Analysis using Grounded Theory methodology indicated that physicians define culture in various ways and the majority view culture as negatively impacting their interactions. The results from this study also reveal that physicians received minimal training in their medical education on how to handle these cultural differences and instead have learned on-the-job through trial and error methods. Finally, the research concludes that many of the physicians interviewed perceived deficits in training and offered suggestions on …