Toward multiculturality. Implications for the pediatrician.

Abstract

Pediatricians must become more aware of America's growing ethnic, racial, and immigrant populations. A pediatrician who is not a member of an ethnic group can certainly become a minority family's doctor. It is the position of this article that the pediatrician must understand the importance of cultural issues and allow the family to become his or her guide. The suggested interview is provided as an outline for readers to both use with immigrants and to discover personal areas of cultural awareness and either knowledge or sensitivity gaps. Some individuals may want to only think about the questions and mentally relate them to certain families. Considering questions of this nature can help each pediatrician to become better spontaneous interviewers and to keep cultural concepts within working memory.