Boucher Nathan A
At the time of the study, Nathan A. Boucher was with the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, School of Public Health, New York.
Am J Public Health. 2016 Jun;106(6):996-1001. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303073. Epub 2016 Mar 17.
Aging patients with advanced or terminal illnesses or at the end of their lives become highly vulnerable when their cultural needs-in terms of ethnic habits, religious beliefs, and language-are unmet. Cultural diversity should be taken into account during palliative care delivery (i.e., noncurative, supportive care during advanced illness or at the end of life). Providers and systems deliver disparate palliative care to diverse patients. I present 2 strategies to improve how culturally diverse populations are served during advanced illness: (1) health service provider assessment of local populations to understand service populations' cultural needs and guide services and policy; and (2) interprofessional education to improve multicultural understanding among the health care workforce.
患有晚期或终末期疾病或生命垂危的老年患者，如果他们在民族习惯、宗教信仰和语言等文化需求方面得不到满足，就会变得极其脆弱。在提供姑息治疗（即晚期疾病或生命末期的非治愈性、支持性护理）时，应考虑文化多样性。提供者和医疗系统为不同的患者提供不同的姑息治疗。我提出了两种策略，以改善在晚期疾病期间为文化背景各异的人群提供服务的方式：（1）医疗服务提供者对当地人群进行评估，以了解服务对象的文化需求，并指导服务和政策制定；（2）开展跨专业教育，以增进医护人员之间的多元文化理解。
