Cross-cultural communication barriers in health care
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Cross-cultural communication barriers in health care

Shena Parthab Taylor PhD researcher, Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire.
Colette Nicolle Senior lecturer, Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire.
Martin Maguire Research fellow, Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Leicestershire.

Aim To investigate healthcare professionals’ perceptions of caring for people from ethnic minorities with poor or no English language skills when accessing health care.

Method Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 34 healthcare professionals to identify their perception of barriers encountered by those with poor or no English language skills.

Findings Five main themes were identified in relation to barriers in accessing health care: language; low literacy; lack of understanding; attitudes, gender attitudes and health beliefs; and retention of information.

Conclusion It is essential that all individuals are able to interact effectively with healthcare services. New and innovative approaches are necessary to meet the needs of people from ethnic minorities accessing health care.

Nursing Standard. 27, 31, 35-43. doi: 10.7748/ns2013.04.27.31.35.e7040

Correspondence

shena.taylor@gbops.com

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Received: 31 May 2012

Accepted: 02 January 2013

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