“Cross-cultural project Italy/Hong Kong”
This project was made possible thanks to cooperation between the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, UILDM (Italian Union for the Fight against Muscular Dystrophy), the Don Gnocchi Hospital in Milan, the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong.
The primary objectives of the study were to investigate the quality of life and problems related to physical illness and its treatment, as well as psychosocial functions, defined as psychosocial distress, to support patients and their families, to enhance participation in daily and social life and to provide network assistance.
The study grew out of the hypothesis that cultural differences in the approach to the disease, the relationships between caregiver and patient, and the modes of communication present in two cultures as different as Italian and Chinese, can influence the approach to the disease as well as relational modes.
The desire to deal with muscular dystrophy in a cross-cultural context arose from awareness of the importance of multicultural studies and the drive to establish collaboration and a scientific/cultural exchange with Hong Kong. This city, a major center of the East and in the world, provides interesting comparisons with the Western world, as well as compelling data regarding the economy, cultural exchanges and international developments.
Following the project, the following article was published.
