Conversations in Cultural Competency

Manage Chronic Disease with the EFST Model for Cultural Competence

How can clinicians help ease the stress of chronic disease? Recent healthcare news stories published in The New York Times draw attention to the incredible burden of serious illness and chronic disease on critically sick patients. Not only are they physically uncomfortable and often fighting for their lives—they are also baffled by a confusing healthcare system and swamped by medical bills. Now imagine adding a language barrier to the mix! The challenges of serious illness are compounded when there are cross-cultural issues at play. Quality Interactions' EFST Model is designed to help clinicians uncover and address these issues and provide culturally-sensitive care to all patients with chronic disease.

Our recent live learning event, Social Determinants & Cross-Cultural Care, presented by Dr. Emilio Carrillo, explored the history and impact of social determinants of health (SODH) and presented real-world case studies to show how health practitioners can make a real difference to improve patient health outcomes. Here are the answers to questions submitted by participants that Dr. Carrillo did not have time to answer during the event. You can also access the event slides and recording.

How clinicians can address social determinants of health

We have known for decades that income, education, race, gender, and other social factors have a bigger impact than medical care on people’s health and life expectancy. Social determinants of health (SODH) are well documented by respected organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).