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The following list outlines the more obvious aspects of the health care provider’s culture. In connection with later chapters, it can be referred to as a framework for comparing various other ethnic and cultural beliefs and practices.
1. Beliefs a. Standardized dualistic definitions of health and illness b. The omnipotence of technology
2. Practices a. The maintenance of health and the protection of health or preven-
tion of disease through such mechanisms as the avoidance of stress, the use of immunizations, and the high use of costly medications
b. Annual physical examinations and diagnostic procedures, such as Pap smears, mammographies, and colonoscopies.
3. Habits a. Charting b. The constant use of jargon c. The use of a systematic approach and problem-solving methodology d. Observing and depending on electronic monitors and other
devices 4. Likes
a. Promptness b. Neatness and organization c. Compliance
5. Dislikes a. Tardiness b. Disorderliness and disorganization
6. Customs a. Professional deference and adherence to the pecking order found
in autocratic and bureaucratic systems b. Hand washing c. The use of certain procedures attending birth and death
7. The expectation of recovery no matter the cost or consequences of therapy
As noted, inherent in the socialization into the health care professions, nursing, medicine, social work, and the various therapies, there are countless cultural traits that are passed on both verbally and nonverbally. Remember, the doors in Figure 8–1 illustrate the closed aspects of the entire health care system.
Today, the problems of health care delivery have grown exponentially, and solutions are more elusive than ever. Doctors in the United States admin- ister the world’s most expensive medical (illness) care system. The costs of U.S. health care soared from $4 billion in 1940 to $27.5 billion in 1960, to the stag- gering 2008 figure of $2.3 trillion (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010, p. 366). Health care is an enterprise that exceeds all the goods and services produced by half the states in the country. Health has become this country’s biggest business, and it accounts for 16.2% of our gross domestic
182 ■ Chapter 8
product, as shown in Table 8–1. In fact, $7,681 was spent in 2008 per capita on health care for every man, woman, child, and fetus (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010, p. 366). Table 8–2 displays the per capita health expenditures and breaks down the figures as to the amount of money coming from private and public funds. The increment of expenditures from 1960 to 2008 is staggering.