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The Neighborhood 8,000 Miles Away Continue...
A Small World
The globalization of health has led to a collaborative network among the world’s nations, a sharing of intellect and technology to cure diseases. In July, leaders of a global Alzheimer’s study among 100 centers in 21 countries announced positive results from a transdermal patch used on 1,100 patients. In August, international experts gathered in New Delhi to explore the potential for e-health, ranging from wireless solutions for telemedicine to mobile e-health for developing nations. Such partnerships are landmark programs with reciprocal benefits for all.
At RWJMS, Janusz J. Godyn, MD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and chair of the pathology departments at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton, Bayshore Community Hospital, and Southern Ocean County Hospital, participated in a collaborative exchange of information and experience with Narutowicz City Specialty Hospital in Kraków, Poland.
Janusz J. Godyn, MD, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and chair of the pathology departments at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton, Bayshore Community Hospital, and Southern Ocean County Hospital, participated in a collaborative exchange of information and experience with Narutowicz City Specialty Hospital in Kraków, Poland. "
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“Ours is a valuable collaboration, one that is evenly balanced,” Dr. Godyn says. “We have learned as much from medical leaders in Poland as they have from us.”
He cites discussions on the issue of quality of care, and reports that they focus primarily on maintaining and improving the quality of medical outcomes, and that certain patient comforts are secondary items in their budgets.
“I think some of our shared experience may lead to questions regarding the organization of our own health care,” Dr. Godyn reports. “For instance, the ratio of nurses to patients in Polish maternity units is significantly lower than in U.S. hospitals. Nevertheless, infant mortality per pregnancy is similar in both countries. Therefore, it seems that indicators other than hospital staffing may influence results of medical outcomes.”
Another perspective As globalization makes health care more internationally interactive than ever before, an awareness of cultural competency has grown.
Regarded internationally as an expert on the treatment of diverse populations, Dr. Like is a consultant to the European Union’s Migrant-Friendly Hospitals, and he contributed to the nine-module physician training course on cultural competency developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. “Whether they are treating patients in underdeveloped nations or their own offices, American physicians need to practice in a culturally competent environment that recognizes differences in cultures that go beyond language to history, customs, religious beliefs, family relationships, and more,” he explains. “Such awareness needs to be within a human relations and social justice framework designed to eliminate health care inequities around the world.” |
Robert C. Like, MD, MS, professor of family medicine and director of the Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity, defines this as treating patients with a respectful attitude toward people from different cultures.