Providing medical care to diverse populations: findings from a survey of Connecticut physicians.

Objective: To identify current approaches and physicians' perceptions of challenges to providing medical care to racially, ethnically and culturally diverse patients in Connecticut. Methods: Three hundred twenty-one licensed and practicing physicians in Connecticut representing 17 specialty areas completed a brief self-administered mail survey in the spring of 2009. Results: Although physicians generally feel that they do a good job in treating patients from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, many do not employ best practices for communicating with patients with limited English proficiency. Manyalso do nottailortheirdiscussions ofhealth and health behavior to individual patients in a way that is culturally sensitive. Only 38% of all physicians had received formal training in managing patients from diverse backgrounds, and 34% had completed continuingmedical education on this subject. Physicians reported thatthe greatest challenges to providing care to diverse patient groups involved structural issues such as medication costs and insurance issues. Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that providing patients with better information on obtaining health insurance and how to utilize insurance coverage to access appropriate and effective medical care, as well as broad-based training and education in cultural awarenessandsensitivityforbothphysiciansandtheir office staffs, maybe instrumental in decreasinghealth disparities among Connecticut residents.