Consultations for people from minority groups

Most developed societies are ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse, and recent trends in migration mean that this diversity is set to increase. Irrespective of background, most people want (and most health professionals aim to provide) high quality care that is accessible and sensitively delivered. For many people in minority groups, the care sought and the professional knowledge base, skills, and competencies needed to deliver such care are no different from those needed for people from the majority population, but in some instances standard approaches may need to be modified to achieve comparable outcomes. Making the effort to do so is important for ethical and legal reasons, but also because it will be appreciated and remembered. Conversely, failures in communication often have a lasting negative effect on the doctor-patient relationship; in particular, such failures can erode trust, not only in the clinician, but also in the health service in general.