The collaborative model of doctor–patient consultation — Is it always culturally appropriate? What do doctors and patients need to know to make it work in intercultural contexts?

Abstract

This article questions the assumption that a collaborative, participatory model of medical interview (as taught in most contemporary Western universities) is necessarily the most suitable and effective in cross-cultural interactions between doctors and patients. It highlights some of the challenges for international students in mastering this model, and extends Koehn's concept of the medical interview as involving ‘mutual teaching’ to suggest a role for the doctor as a ‘cultural informant’ who helps patients to acquire the ‘medical literacy’ and skills required to participate effectively.

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Notes on contributors

John Hamilton

JOHN HAMILTON is a lecturer in the Student Academic Support Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University. His masters from the University of Melbourne examined factors influencing participation levels of Vietnamese international students at Australian universities. He has taught in Vietnam, Thailand and more recently Malaysia, where he recently spent 6 months helping to establish student support services for the new School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Sunway Campus of Monash University.