ethnicity online

good practice guidelines: faith and ethnicity

• Establish your patients' ethnic identity and/or religious affiliation, and note this information in their case notes.
• Discuss with your patients any issues that may arise during testing, examination, diagnosis or treatment, so that you are both prepared to deal with these issues.
• If in doubt, discuss any medication or treatment with the patient first. If they are in doubt (or cannot take part in the discussion), then speak to their family, the hospital chaplain or a community leader.
• Offer patients help with any religious or cultural practices that they need to carry out while under your care (this will mostly apply to inpatients).
• Write up the outcomes of any discussions on this subject in a patient's case notes to assist their future care by other staff members.

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