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The TriPartite Model
A critical factor in the delivery of services that are reflective of culturally-appropriate care is the ability of doctors to effectively communicate with their patients. Doctors must be able to express information to their patients in a way that makes this information relevant to the patients. Sensitivity to cultural issues and norms should guide physicians through interactions with their diverse array of patients. A knowledge of the health care orientation of patients, that is, how patients' unique cultural cues inform the way they consider their health care, is paramount to a successful interaction.
The TriPartite Model has been developed by the Department of Family Medicine as a framework for teaching medical students these principles of culturally-informed communication. It describes overall patient health care orientation in terms of three suborientations: the causality orientation (Figure 1; encompassing the continuums of fatalism and scientific acceptance), the social orientation (Figure 2; individualism and time perspective), and the expressive orientation (Figure 3; privacy and stoicism). By asking appropriate questions based on the TriPartite model, physicians can more effectively elicit patient explanatory models, which can in turn produce a more successful interaction.
The TriPartite Model is available online to the public by following this link: TriPartite Model
