Cross-Cultural and Socioeconomic Influences on Urological Cancer Patients

This journal paper is a literature review which aims to take a closer look at how different ethnicities/races, cultures and socioeconomic status affect both patients and their families and how those factors influence patients’ medical decision-making. Both culture and socioeconomic status have been shown to influence the stage at which an individual is diagnosed, how that individual copes with their diagnosis and what medical decisions the patient will make. Hence, it is of utmost importance that more research in the area of cross-cultural and socioeconomic influences on urological cancer patients is conducted. Additionally, medical practitioners must take into consideration patients’ cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds when treating them if the treatment is to be effective and efficient. A lack of cultural and socioeconomic understanding by doctors may lead to misperceptions and misunderstandings, which in turn can lead to poor interaction between patients and doctors as well as unwanted or inappropriate clinical outcomes.