Cultural diversity in medicine and in healthcare delivery

Abstract

The past century has borne witness to a most unique development in the annals of American medicine. The patients who we treat have become more complex, not only in regards to the variety of illnesses that they present, but especially in regards to the increasing mixture of cultures, ethnic groups, and races. This steady progression of heterogeneity presents a challenge of major proportions to the practicing physician who must now acknowledge that the approach to patients cannot be monolithic, but instead should be tailored to fit their special needs. © 2007 Humana Press Inc.