Nurses' experiences of caring for ethnic‐minority clients

Abstract

This paper describes a research study designed to explore the experiences of nurses caring for ethnic-minority clients and to identify any specific problems nurses encounter when caring for these clients. Data were collected through a process of in-depth interviews with 18 trained nurses. The findings of the study suggest that nurses caring for ethnic-minority clients share many common experiences, problems and challenges. Difficulties in communication with clients and a lack of knowledge about cultural differences were highlighted by all respondents. The lack of holistic care and the inability to develop a therapeutic relationship were identified as major areas of frustration and stress. The study demonstrates that there is an urgent need to develop cultural knowledge in nurse education programmes and that nurses need help and support with communication difficulties. Interpreting services and dietary facilities available for ethnic-minority clients were also found to be inadequate and it is suggested that there is a need to review these facilities within hospitals.

Verbal and nonverbal indicators of quality of communication between care staff and residents in ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse long-term care settings

“…One communication accommodation that was more accessible in facility A than B was the recruitment of other staff, volunteers, or family members to serve as language and cultural brokers (Murphy and Macleod Clark 1993). This practice was prompted by a) staff experiencing difficulty communicating with a particular resident, b) family members intervening when they thought they could help, and/or c) residents seeking out a passerby family member to resolve a concern they had.…”

“…From a health care professional perspective, Taylor et al (2013: 37) assert that Bcommunication is 99 % of our job^(see also, Caris-Verhallen et al 1999). Care settings in which there are linguistic and cultural communication differences between staff and residents can compromise the quality of communication and care (Bourgeault et al 2010;Bowen 2001;Murphy and Macleod Clark 1993). Family members of residents in diverse care settings cite communication issues as the most inconvenient and problematic (Kong et al 2010: 324).…”

“…This can lead to frustration, which may increase interpersonal conflicts and exacerbate a resident's actual or perceived level of dependence (Ekman et al 1994). Language and cultural barriers may also reinforce an already strong tendency for care staff to be task-oriented, thereby minimizing relational opportunities for meaningful communication (Grainger 1993;Jones and Van Amelsvoort-Jones 1986;Lange et al 2013;Murphy and Macleod Clark 1993). Considering the importance of communication to quality of life in long-term care, the goals of the present study were to 1) explore how care staff and residents communicate with each other when there is a mismatch in their language and ethnocultural backgrounds, and 2) identify and account for behaviours that either promoted or detracted from positive communication by drawing on principles from Communication Accommodation Theory.…”

Family Support and Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Comparative Study of the Experiences of South Asian and White-European Patients and Their Carer's Living in the United Kingdom

“…This has been known for some time [17,[19][20][21][22][23][24]. It is disappointing that, at least in the cases we examined, limited progress appears to have been made in addressing this problem.…”

“…In particular, patients typically made few lifestyle changes and perceived their MI as an event that signified the end of their active life [18]. Other studies have identified similar communication and language difficulties experienced by South Asian patients, being treated for a range of chronic diseases, leading to a lack of information for patients and their families about diagnosis, medication and advice about their care [19][20][21][22][23][24]. These communication and language issues often arise due to problems in finding appropriate interpreters, resulting in using family members as interpreters [23].…”