Prenatal genetic counseling in cross-cultural medicine A framework for family physicians

[摘要] OBJECTIVE To help family physicians practise effective genetic counseling and offer practical strategies for cross-cultural communication in the context of prenatal genetic counseling.SOURCES OF INFORMATION PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched. Most evidence was level II and some was level III.MAIN MESSAGE The values and beliefs of practitioners, no less than those of patients, are shaped by culture. In promoting a patient’s best interest, the assumptions of both the patient and the provider must be held up for examination and discussed in the attempt to arrive at a consensus. Through the explicit discussion and formation of trust, the health professionals, patients, and family members who are involved can develop a shared understanding of appropriate therapeutic goals and methods.CONCLUSION Reflecting on the cultural nature of biomedicine’s ideas about risk, disability, and normality helps us to realize that there are many valid interpretations of what is in a patient’s best interest. Self-reflection helps to ensure that respectful communication with the specific family and patient is the basis for health care decisions. Overall, this helps to improve the quality of care.

[学科分类] 卫生学

[关键词] friction factors;wind measurements;tsunami