Cultural Impact on Health Care Services and Education

Today, the impact of the cultural background on the provision of health care services is very significant because often patients and health care professionals face substantial problems with adequate diagnosing and treatment of health care services. In such a situation, health care professionals should take into consideration the cultural background of their patients to provide health care services effectively. At this point, it is possible to identify the problem of the early diagnosing of breast cancer in Arab American women. In actuality, today, the early diagnosing of breast cancer in Arab American women is quite challenging because of cultural traditions of the Arab American community. In such a way, the cultural background can have a considerable impact on the behavior of patients and health care services being provided for them by health care professionals that makes the development of educational programs essential to meet needs of different cultural groups.
In actuality, Arab American women are vulnerable to the risk of the development of breast cancer as well as other women from other cultural group. In this regard, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the prevention of the development of breast cancer is possible on the condition of the early diagnosing of the disease. However, Arab American women often fail to consult a doctor or identify their health problem because of specificities of their education. To put it more precisely, Arab American women receive poor education related to their health because they are considered to be a sort of taboo, whereas the detailed examination of Arab American women by health care professionals also confronts the opposition from the part of cultural norms of their community. In such a way, health care professionals cannot diagnose health problems in Arab American women in regard to the development of breast cancer.
In such a situation, the development of educational programs for Arab American women is essential to diagnose the development of breast cancer at early stages and prevent the progress of the disease. In such a context, Arab American women should receive education to learn about symptoms and early signs of the development of breast cancer. In addition, Arab American women after forty should attend doctors to conduct the examination to diagnose breast cancer.
At this point, it is possible to dwell upon the major enablers, which can either enhance health care services being provided for Arab American women or to prevent them from receiving essential health care services. The following table shows the major enablers:
Domains Perceptions Enablers Nurturers
Positive Educational programs;
Regular examination;
Existential Lack of education;
Cultural traditions;
Irregular visits to doctors;
Negative Development of breast cancer;
Late diagnosing;

Thus, education programs can help to enhance the provision health care problems, such as breast cancer. In such a way, health care professionals need to pay a lot of attention to the cultural background of their patients and help them to identify their health problems and treat them successfully.
REFERENCES
Airhihenbuwa, C.O. (1995). Health and culture: Beyond the Western Paradigm. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.
Airhihenbuwa, C.O., & Webster, J.D. (2004). Culture and African contexts of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support. Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance, 1(1), 4-13.