Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness (7th Edition),   ISBN:9780135035894

Customer Rating: 

This book was exactly what I expected it to be. It got here in great time and is in perfect condition

Customer Rating: 

This book gave me information that was clear and concise. I also like the fact that it provided links to other sources that would help in gathering information for your projects

Customer Rating: 

I used the 7th edition of this text in a mandated "Cultural Diversity" course to complete a BS in the allied health sciences in 2009. The book successfully helped me understand and accept my own cultural identity in the course of doing the same for others. However, I felt the book lacks essential discussion on exploring ways to overcome barriers to appropriate medical care that are brought on by patients of diverse cultures, and conversely, seems to advocate abandonment of modern science-based medical care to "alternative" practices of medicine based on cultural health traditions. The Text fails to emphasize the potential HEALTH and monetary risks associated with the blatant charlatanism as well as dangerous superstitious ignorance that are all too common in Alternative medicine culture.

The Text incorrectly uses the term "Allopathic" to describe the "dominant health care system" or science-based medicine. Using Allopathic to describe a science-based philosophy in the practice of medicine is a misnomer. (Misuse of the Term "Allopathy" William T. Jarvis, Ph.D. NCAF [...])

While significant shortcomings in the modern American approach to medicine are legitimately expressed in Table 5-2 pp 126, the Text parallels these to the term "Allopathic" to create a negative perspective of science-based medical practice while extolling unsubstantiated and potentially unnecessary and risky practices that are associated with other non-scientific practice of medicine. The two philosophies are illogically presented as being on an equal playing field in Chapter 4. A conclusion I gained from reading the text can be summarized:
Health = bad, lacking, limited, incomplete = medical care based on "Proven" (pg 95) methods
HEALTH = good, complete, fulfilling, correct = homeopathy and other forms of alternative medicine

Here are a few other content and editing notes I noticed:

On a several minute Google search I could not find a reference to the term "fixed" in the context that it is used in the second paragraph page 267. I kind of believe it should remain "vexed."

First paragraph, page 276 reports a recent or current case where "a Black woman in labor was not admitted to the hospital". EMTALA was enacted in 1986, and other state and federal legislation regarding hospital care for emergencies and/or woman in labor was likely in effect prior to that time. Substantiated or not, I felt the presentation of this anecdotal discrimination runs counter to developing a spirit of reciprocating empathy between cultures.

The first two bullets at the bottom of page 34 appear to have discrepant numbers in the presence of nearly matching percentages: "Twenty four percent, or 72.3 million" versus "Twenty six percent, or 174.1 million"

The last, unfinished sentence on page 77 does not appear to carry over to page 78.

Overall, I cannot recommend. The substance of the text fills a unit or chapter, not an entire semester, and the lesson learned does not require abandonment of a scientific approach in the practice of medicine, and acceptance and adoption of new-age Alternative medical philosophy as the text seems to suggest.

Customer Rating: 

if you are a health care professional purchase this book because it will teach you plenty about culture and life. "In my alien planet culture was an opinion."

Customer Rating: 

Over all, I enjoyed reading the book. It generally flowed well and was easy to understand. It had enough depth to adequately cover the content in a semester based class (which also covered some nursing theory using other texts) without getting too bogged down in detail. Many parts were enlightening and, until I read the book, I really never considered that health care itself has a culture of it's own. I gave it four stars because I would not want this to be my only text for an entire class.