The Washington Post on Sunday examined steps that physicians and other health care providers have taken in recent years to treat an increased number of immigrant patients with different cultural backgrounds. According to the Post, the issue "has become a top priority for the medical universe because much of the health care system remains ill-prepared" to treat immigrant patients. Last year, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association called for "significant improvement" in cultural training for physicians. Physicians who lack adequate cultural training might fail to recognize why immigrant patients from certain cultural backgrounds are reluctant to provide information or follow up on recommended treatments, the Post reports. In response, some physician offices and hospitals have taken steps to recognize different ethnic and religious beliefs as their immigrant patient populations have increased, and other providers have established clinics designed to treat immigrant patients from specific nations or cultural backgrounds, according to the Post (Levine, Washington Post, 2/26).

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