The Latino Patient: A Cultural Guide for Health Care Providers

The Latino Patient: A Cultural Guide for Health Care Providers by Nilda Chong was an excellent introduction to the principles of understanding and communicating with the Latino patient in the U.S. The author had a difficult task, but I feel that she succeeded especially well in acknowledging the diversity of the Latino population while still focusing primarily on the similarities that are of practical importance to the well-intentioned but inexperienced health care provider. While the book does contain a good amount of Latino-specific information, I estimate that 2/3 of its content would be equally applicable to quality care for any type of patient. This could be disappointing to the more experienced provider, but to a young person such as myself, I found the basic review of respectful patient care to actually be useful. The book is well organized, with five chapters of background information followed by five more chapters that chronologically outline the patient visit. Overall, the author does an excellent job of achieving her intentions of raising awareness and creating a guide for culturally competent care of the Latino patient.

Exellent, comprehensive approach to better understand Latinos in the USA.

This is a much needed resource that is finally available. The strength of this book is the focus on health care practice, and the vignettes illustrating Latino cultural values in the clinical setting. The first part provides valuable insight into the familistic Latino culture. The second part is a gem, translating this information into practical vignettes in realistic situations. It will be an invaluable tool in my practice.