Culture, demographics, and critical care issues: an overview.

The population dynamic and the immigration trends in the United States continue to challenge health care professionals who each day must serve an increasingly diverse population. Today's physicians must not only have a solid background in medical sciences but they must also have knowledge of how culture, race, and ethnicity impact how patients view and accept traditional Western practices. Whether doctors and patients are close in the "context spectrum" will often determine their ability to communicate beyond the spoken language.