I grew up with Mexican grandparents who believed that prescribed medication was the key to curing any illness, and that the doctor’s word was gospel. This got me thinking about how different our expectations are of what will happen when we go and see the doctor, and I’m especially interested in how this varies across countries and cultures.
As an example I found a really interesting article in the journal ‘Sociology of Health and Illness’ which looked at the treatment of hypertension and the ‘beliefs and responses to medication amongst cultural groups’. It looked at European respondents (who were predominantly English and referred to as ‘white’) and respondents from the West Indies all being treated for hypertension, all living in Lambeth in the UK. The paper found that levels of adherence to prescribed medication was high among the European respondents but low amongst those from the West Indies (less than half classified as compliers). Amongst many reasons for non-adherence relying on herbal remedies instead was a common answer. Interestingly only 1 (out of 30) European respondent, and 17 (out of 30) West Indian respondents reported regularly taking herbal remedies to help their blood pressure, many claiming that local supermarkets sourced a variety of herbal remedies to treat hypertension, including one described as a ‘Blood Toner’ with 8 herbs and roots as ingredients or alternatively a herbal tea made from fresh or dried sorocee.
Non-adherence to medication is a big problem in our healthcare system, and this article and others similar got me questioning how far a clear and thorough understanding of our patient’s cultural identity, beliefs and traditions can help to shape their healthcare. Many West Indian respondents reported that they did not tell their GPs that they took herbal remedies or didn’t take their drugs as they would be seen as stupid, and they believed the GP would not understand their cultural traditions.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, especially those who have grown up in different countries.
This is the paper: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.ep10837256/abstract