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( continued from page 12 ) to the physician but have cultural importance to the patient are important to establish the trust required for more effective patient engagement in treatment . In Louisville , local organizations such as Catholic Charities of Louisville , Kentucky Refugee Ministries and others can help with understanding the cultural expectations of immigrant patients .
White physicians treating Black patients don ’ t have language challenges but do have to recognize that there may not be immediate trust . The white doctor needs to pay special attention to body language , eye contact and especially to active listening . Asking questions to better appreciate the understanding of the physician ’ s recommendations , is a way to test knowledge and trust .
It ’ s important for the physician to ensure that the front office and nursing staff are well versed in CLAS techniques . The staff surrounding the physician are so important to help establish the sense of trust in the practice ; the element of trust is key to compliance with physician recommendations for care . It all starts with trust - and can end without trust .
References : 1 .) A Practical Guide to Implementing the National CLAS Standards : For
Racial , Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities , People with Disabilities and Sexual and Gender Minorities , National Committee for Quality Assurance , December 2016 . ( https :// www . cms . gov / About-CMS / Agency-Information / OMH / Downloads / CLAS-Toolkit-12-7-16 . pdf )
2 .) Meuter RF , Gallois C , Segalowitz NS , Ryder AG , Hocking J . Overcoming language barriers in healthcare : A protocol for investigating safe and effective communication when patients or clinicians use a second language . BMC Health Serv Res . 2015 Sep 10 ; 15:371 . doi : 10.1186 / s12913-015-1024- 8 . PMID : 26357948 ; PMCID : PMC4566365 . ( https :// bmchealthservres . biomedcentral . com / track / pdf / 10.1186 / s12913-015-1024-8 . pdf )
3 .) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . Improving Cultural Competence . Treatment Improvement Protocol ( TIP ) Series No . 59 . HHS Publication No . ( SMA ) 14-4849 . Rockville , MD : Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration , 2014 .
4 .) Partida Y , Language Barriers and the Patient Encounter , Virtual Mentor . 2007 ; 9 ( 8 ): 566-571 . doi : 10.1001 / virtualmentor . 2007.9.8 . msoc1-0708 . https :// journalofethics . ama-assn . org / article / language-barriers-and-patient-encounter / 2007-08
5 .) Hostetter M , Klein S , Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust Among Black Americans . The Commonwealth Fund , January 14 , 2021 https :// www . commonwealthfund . org / publications / newsletter-article / 2021 / jan / medical-mistrust-among-black-americans
6 .) Ding A , Dixon SW , Ferries EA , Shrank WH . The role of integrated medical and prescription drug plans in addressing racial and ethnic disparities in medication adherence . J Manag Care Spec Pharm . 2022 Mar ; 28 ( 3 ): 379-386
Dr . James is the Senior Medical Director , Passport Health Plan by Molina Healthcare .
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