"My soul will come back to trouble you": cultural and ethical issues in the coerced treatment of a Hmong adolescent
Article Abstract:
The case of Lee Lor, a 15-year-old Hmong woman coerced into accepting chemotherapy by her doctor and California authorities in 1994, illustrates the miscommunication and other serious adverse effects that may occur when the biomedical establishment fails to sufficiently consider culturally derived attitudes about health and authority. Lor and her family objected to the proposed chemotherapy because of shared cultural beliefs and their acquired distrust of Western authority figures. Lor's coercion, which arose from gross misinterpretations by doctor and officials, seemed to confirm the family's position.
Publication Name: Southern Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0899-594X
Year: 1997
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American Indian health care: approaching the Thunder's Nest
Article Abstract:
Differing interpretations of caring lead to much of the miscommunication and distrust prevalent between Western physicians and their Native American patients. Physicians must learn that Native Americans value listening, sincerity, empathy, and concern for the community and its values in the provision of health care. For Native Americans, caring involves establishing and respecting relationships between individuals and groups. Investigation of the Cheyennes' experience with the biomedical establishment indicates Western physicians' general unwillingness to interrelate with Native American communities.
Publication Name: Southern Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0899-594X
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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