Understanding cultural differences - a key component for accelerating systems implementation process

'Cultural differences' is a complex concept. It includes the differences in beliefs, values, behaviors, and the way people understand their world. In medicine - In the multicultural and hyper-technological age we live in, understanding cultural differences is essential to the success of adapting new medical technologies.

Despite the common perception that hospitals are an "objective" space that should not be influenced by "culture" - today we understand that local culture has a great significance in shaping our medical environment.

Cultural differences can be subtle, for example, the relationship between the therapist and the patient - in many places in the world it is customary for patients to be accompanied by an attendant, which makes the relationship between therapist and patient one involving another person. Another example of a subtle cultural difference could be access to digital tools - in a culture where there is an older population, access to personal technological tools will likely be more limited - affecting people's independence in medicine, such as accessing medical data or even making appointments.

One of the most proactive and smart ways that help us deal with questions of cultural diversity is the CPS4TIC system. The CPS4TIC system is a cyber-physical system for communicative medicine and intensive care that has the power to contribute to an effective and successful connection between intensive care units, both at the national level and at the level of the entire European continent. Better communication is a better connection.

Cultural differences are a dramatic component in any international project, especially in ICU4COVID-type projects, which are designed to try and reduce response times and access to global databases.

We invite you to read more about this important lesson on the 'Lessons Learned' page on our website, and of course to share this article further. if you would like to read more about the CPS4TIC system you can do so on the 'CPS4TIC' page on the project website.