Cross-Cultural Medicine

Book Review Cross-Cultural Medicine, edited by Judyann Bigby, 289 pp, with illus, $38, Independence Mall West, Sixth Street at Race, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1572, American College of Physicians (telephone: 800-523-1546), 2003, ISBN 1-930513-02-X Type and Scope of Book: A multiauthored review of the provision of medical care to minorities and patients of various ethnic and racial backgrounds in the United States. Contents: The medical care of patients in the United States is becoming increasingly complex. In this 9-chapter book, the editor and authors provide background information on various racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in the United States. The text reviews typical health problems encountered in these groups. Individual chapters present guidelines for caring for African Americans, Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and American Muslims, and immigrants. Practical approaches to addressing patients’ diverse beliefs are reviewed. Strengths: The book is well written, easy to read, and well structured. Physicians and health care professionals from specific ethnic/racial backgrounds wrote the chapters relating to their respective groups. The clinical vignettes illustrating common problems and barriers encountered by physicians and health care professionals are extremely useful, and the text offers practical solutions to common problems encountered in the health care setting. The editor did an excellent job in formatting the chapters, which are uniform and conform to the same outline. Deficiencies: Occasionally, the illustrative cases and tables do not flow well with the text. In addition, some of the tables illustrating common problems and solutions are too “busy.” Recommended Readership: I recommend this book to all physicians and health care professionals practicing in the United States. Overall Grading: #### Elie F. Berbari, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn

Grading Key ★★★★★ = outstanding; ★★★★ = excellent; ★★★ = good; ★★ = fair; ★ = poor.

© 2004 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

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