About half of resident physicians in a nationwide survey reported they had little or no training in cross-cultural care, according to a study published in the Sept. 7 issue of the... Journal of the American Medical Association, Long Island Newsday reports. According to Newsday, culturally competent care can include understanding how to address patients from different cultural backgrounds, identifying patient mistrust, and understanding religious and cultural customs. The study, led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and cosponsored by the Commonwealth Fund, involved a survey of more than 2,000 residents in their last year of training. The study found that 20% of residents felt they were not well trained to care for patients whose religious beliefs might affect treatment (Ricks, Long Island Newsday, 9/7). In addition, about one-fourth of residents said they were not prepared to treat patients whose health beliefs differ from those of Western medicine. Stephen Schoenbaum, executive vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, said, "Although physicians recognize that cultural competency is a necessary component of high-quality care, they are not being given the tools they need to provide this care" (CQ HealthBeat, 9/6).

An abstract of the study is available online.

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