|
|
HealthLinks
HMC
UW
|
|
The EthnoMed site contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and other related issues pertinent to the health care of recent immigrants to Seattle or the US, many of whom are refugees fleeing war-torn parts of the world.
Can't find what you want? Try using the Search within EthnoMed using a word or topic.
November/December 2008
Medication Non-Adherence Issues with Refugee and Immigrant Patients
Patients
don't always follow providers' orders or advice and treatment may deviate
from the prescribed medication and regimen. The patient and provider may
or may not know when this happens, and there may be any number of contributing
factors or explanations. Non-adherence is a prevailing problem throughout
the world. Proper adherence to therapies in developed countries averages
50% and the figures are much lower in developing countries given the reduced
access to health care and educational resources. Among refugee and immigrant
populations in the U.S., adherence may be lower. Factors as varied
as perceptions about the color or size of a pill, unfamiliarity
with long-term treatment to manage chronic conditions, and the sharing
of advice and medicine between family members and friends, may influence
whether a patient follows treatment. To read more about Medication
Non-Adherence Issues with Immigrant and Refugee Patients, including specific
Recommendations for Providers, Read Article.
Hyperlipidemia: Diet, Education, and Health Promotion
for the Somali Refugee Population
In Somalia, chronic conditions such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are often not tested for and consequently are not well documented and may have gone undetected and/or untreated. The terms cholesterol and hyperlipidemia, and the concepts of preventative medicine and treatment for asymptomatic disease may be new to many Somalis. Conversations with healthcare providers in Seattle revealed a high incidence of elevated cholesterol among their Somali patients. Providers noted the high frequency of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in their Somali patients, all of which are associated with hyperlipidemia. Interpreters, community leaders, dietitians, and healthcare providers were consulted about the dietary patterns of the Somali community in Seattle as well as their knowledge about promoting healthy diet with this population. The underlying goal was to better understand the use of oils and fats in food preparation for patient education related to lowering cholesterol levels. To read about Somali health beliefs and diet, and suggestions to guide providers toward culturally appropriate health promotion, Read article .
Recent Featured Materials or Links on EthnoMed
- My Baby
Refuses to Eat! Overfeeding of Somali Infants
Clinical observations about patterns of overfeeding as a common antecedent leading to oral aversion and failure to thrive. - Cancer
Survivorship:
A paragraph about surviving cancer in 10 languages. - Karen:
The Karen, pronounced Kah- Ren (emphasis on the second syllable), are indigenous to the Thailand-Burma border region in Southeast Asia and are one of the many ethnic groups in Burma. There are Karen people throughout the country presently known as Burma or Myanmar. Nearly half the population in Burma's Delta that was hit by the cyclone in May 2008 was ethnic Karen. Many of the new arrivals in the U.S. have family in this area and it must be very difficult for them not to be able to help or contact their family members in the country.