Cultural Competency in Healthcare
“By making assumptions and stereotypes based on nationality, race, or language, doctors run the risk of overlooking the specific factors behind their patients’ condition, such as socioeconomic status, accessibility to basic healthcare needs and a healthy diet, environmental factors in their neighborhood, and other issues. The idea of cultural competency allows providers to act paternalistic in concluding how to best address cultural differences without consulting minorities themselves. It may be impossible to undo the past, but it is essential to rectify the damage to focus on present-day disparities that affect determinants of health. This accountability requires a conscious effort to reflect on how every aspect of our present day lives can be traced back to some historical event.”
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IVF to Baby, and Everything In Between
“An ultrasound of my ovaries showed many of cysts on both, blood work showed very high levels of Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and my irregular periods also aligned with the condition. When the doctor confirmed that I have quite a severe form of PCOS and that I would absolutely need IVF to become pregnant. I was happy to finally have a diagnosis, yet sad to realize that I would need a lot more blood tests, ultrasounds, and many hormone injections to conceive. Plus, the financial costs of IVF terrified me.”
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Highlighting Disabled Authors
1 in 4 individuals has a disability…Chances are that you have virtually or directly interacted with more than four people today... Considering the broad impact of disability, it is critical that we open the discussion up to discussing disability and different needs with children and teenagers to better engage with their peers and family… [This article includes] a collection of books written by authors with a diverse range of visible and invisible disabilities. In sharing, I hope that you can find a book to open the conversation with your loved ones that was written from a perspective often not otherwise so freely accessible.
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Approaches to Holistic Health: Bali and the United States
By; Vivian Phan
Learn more about the different approaches to wellness and healthcare as observed and researched by Genomics Correspondent, Vivian Phan, after her visit to Bali to study their community health systems.
“Holistic healthcare is defined as an approach to wellness that considers the multidimensional aspects of life... A key issue with holistic healthcare in the US is that most of the research conducted on health has been focused on people’s thoughts about illness instead of the mindset surrounding holistic and preventative care... In comparison to the average US resident, Balinese people are highly spiritual and their spirituality is heavily associated with their environment. Moreover, in Indonesian culture, one’s spirituality is often translated into one’s approach towards healthcare…Understanding the significance of cultural practices and traditions is crucial in addressing health imbalances.”
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Patient Accessibility and Neuromuscular Disorders: A Personal Care Attendant’s Perspective
By: Joan Kornkven
“Easy access to healthcare appointments is a major issue for people with neuromuscular disorders. They require a team of specialists who are thoroughly educated on their condition to provide the best personalized care and treatments specific to their needs (3). As a PCA, I attended numerous appointments to see a range of specialists including occupational therapists for wheelchair fittings, physical therapists, pain specialists, pulmonologists, and specialized neurologists that are highly trained in managing SMA. With so many required appointments, patients with neuromuscular conditions are going to medical clinics and appointments significantly more often than most. However, the need for specialists to deliver care means that there are not many hospitals that can provide the care these people need. This means that many patients are left to face substantial accessibility issues.”
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BRCA Genes: Linking Breast, Ovarian, and Prostate Cancer
“Individuals with family histories of cancer may not realize that patterns of certain cancer types within a family can create a pattern observable by genetics specialists that can help guide both preventative, and active treatment decisions.
Seeking genetic counseling does not start with the desire to pursue testing, but rather the decision to have a professional evaluate your genetic risk factors and provide options and resources if testing is recommended or desired.”
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Colorectal Cancer: Critical Preventative Care and Dan "Dry Dock" Shockley: Hereditary Colon Cancer Warrior
Of those diagnosed with colorectal cancer, around 70-80% of cases have no specific cause or family history and are considered sporadic. Therefore, it is critical for everyone to begin colonoscopy screenings at age 50, to catch cancer before it can start… Hereditary cancer syndromes can increase a personal risk to almost 100% in some cases, so identifying individuals that may have hereditary syndromes is critical so that cancer occurrences can be prevented with additional screenings, surgeries, or treatments.
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Pregnancy and Infancy Loss Awareness: The Impact of Genetic Counseling
“Depending on the circumstances, some complications that result in recurrent pregnancy loss or the loss of an infant are genetic in nature. Families are often unaware of these factors and feel helpless coping with their grief. Genetic counselors can help parents facilitate the understanding of potential risk factors for their children.”
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Understanding Risk Factors for Childhood Cancer
In the United States, the likelihood of being diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20 is 1 in 285 – that is, less than .4%. Although this is not extremely common, childhood cancer is the number two cause of childhood mortality in the developed world after accidents. The cure rate for pediatric cancer is 84% and improving, however cancer survivors face lifelong health challenges. About two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors live with chronic illness. More research needs to be done to cure these cancers, but early detection almost always leads to the best outcomes.
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