BIO

I am a pre-med anthropology major from Jacksonville, Florida who enjoys being active in community service and helping others. I am a member of the Medical Response Unit at Florida State, Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, and a weekly volunteer at Champ’s Chance Dog Rescue. My research interests include cultural competency in healthcare, health disparities including access to healthcare, and health outcomes and interventions.

Differences in Health Care Priorities Between Wixárika Patients and Mexican Doctors

Abstract

The treatment of groups such as older adults, indigenous populations, and migrants is so poor that Latin America is considered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as one of the most inequitable regions in the world. Health disparities in indigenous populations are a crucial issue, and a lesser-known source of the issue, language barriers, may be part of the problem. Language barriers can pose challenges for individuals seeking healthcare assistance, and healthcare providers attempting to offer relief. Much research has been conducted on health disparities in indigenous populations, but little of it focuses primarily on language barriers and their effects. The Wixarika people are an indigenous population in Jalisco, Mexico that speak the Huichol language, and because of that, have had issues receiving healthcare and treatment from primarily Spanish-speaking healthcare workers. This study analyzes primary data collected from patient and physician interviews in Jalisco, with the patients being Huichol (Wixarika). This data was reviewed to understand what major discrepancies exist between physicians' interpretation of the most pressing issues affecting the community and those of the Wixarika patients by contrasting physician and patient reports. The results indicate large differences between patients’ and physicians' health priorities, indicating insufficient patient-care provider communication, likely due to language barriers in this case. This poster also includes a brief analysis of some of the other factors that could contribute to these health disparities.

Keywords: Healthcare, Indigenous, Disparities