Multicultural considerations in women's health

As patient practices continue to diversify, clinical skills need to extend beyond disease manifestation and treatment modalities into awareness of health statistics that highlight disparities, training, cross-cultural health care delivery at the individual and system-based levels, and skills of health care advocacy. Excellent care for multicultural women implies the ability to assess the health issues applicable to all women as well as the issues specific to the women in the clinician's office. It implies enabling the patient to share with her individual and cultural influences. Incorporating both of these influences at the same time and integrating them into her context of care can result in developing the best fit for health care goals, eliminating disparities and improving health outcomes in terms of quantity and quality of lives for all women.