A Mandarin speaking woman is rushed to the hospital emergency room with a high fever and chest pains--yet refuses to let the doctor examine her. What does the hospital staff do? As patient populations grow more and more diverse, this and thousands of similar situations confront health care providers each day as they attempt to provide care to our country's newest residents.

Honoring Patient Preferences is an indispensable manual written for health care professionals who care for patients from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. Sponsored by Children's Hospital in Boston--the hospital voted number one in pediatrics nine years in a row by U.S. News and World Report--this essential guide contains detailed, practical information for working with dozens of religious and cultural groups. This unique resource is designed to help providers best meet the needs of their ethnically diverse patients while also satisfying stringent new regulatory standards for culturally sensitive care.

While drawing on many case studies from the Children's Hospital patient population, the authors help clinicians and other professionals expand their knowledge of the customs and rules for care of the sick, attitudes and beliefs about illness and death, and religious observances in the hospital setting. They provide insight into the basic beliefs, traditions, and practices that influence how people from a wide variety of cultures and religions respond to the U.S. health care environment. Honoring Patient Preferences provides health care professionals indispensable suggestions for meeting Joint Commission on Accreditation standards and includes a CD-ROM containing the entire text of the book. Key-word searchable, this resource can be posted on any computer network, giving easy access to this essential information to those who need it most.