Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov;20(4):e290-e295.
doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.04.003. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Towards Culture-Oriented Medical Philosophy, Education, Research and Practice

Nasser Hammad Al-Azri  1
Affiliations

Towards Culture-Oriented Medical Philosophy, Education, Research and Practice

Nasser Hammad Al-Azri. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Medicine is a sociotechnical system wherein culture manifests itself in all its aspects. Culture, however, is often intangible and is frequently neglected in formal healthcare education, research and practice. This sounding board article attempts to generate interest in making culture a serious component of healthcare systems at different levels, including its founding philosophical underpinnings, educational systems, research activities and clinical practice. It is recommended that a framework of culture-oriented medical philosophy, education, research and practice be implemented. Each component of this framework is briefly discussed in relation to healthcare. Culture should be reflected explicitly in healthcare through research activities, medical humanities, cultural competence, communication and ethics.

Keywords: Bioethics; Biomedical Research; Communication; Culture; Medical Education; Medical Philosophy; Medicine; Policy Making.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Williams R. Keywords: A vocabulary of culture and society. New York, USA: Oxford University Press; 2014. p. 87.
    1. Haralambos M, Holborn M. Sociology: Themes and perspectives. 7th ed. London, UK: HarperCollins UK; 2008. p. 663.
    1. Shenkar O, Luo Y. International business. 2nd ed. Los Angeles, USA: Sage Publications; 2008.
    1. Eckersley R. Is modern Western culture a health hazard? Int J Epidemiol. 2006;35:252–8. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyi235. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Astin JA. Why patients use alternative medicine: Results of a national study. JAMA. 1998;279:1548–53. doi: 10.1001/jama.279.19.1548. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources