Cultural barriers and communication issues faced by Asian American breast cancer patients
One of the greatest concerns for the culturally diverse patients while receiving the adequate care facilities is the lack of cultural safety and the lack of effective communication (Bloomer & Al-Mutair, 2013). Immigration rates among the various developed countries are rising alarmingly, and as a result, the population of the various developed nations is becoming increasingly culturally diverse with time. Hence, the need for a culturally sensitive and competent care planning and implementation for culturally diverse population has increased drastically. This assignment will focus on an article emphasizing on culturally safe communication in the context of Asian American Breast Cancer patients and the relation with cultural safety in the care scenario.
A fundamental requirement for this assignment had been selecting a particular cultural group. The choice of the cultural group in this study had been the Asian Americans struggling with breast cancer and the extent of communication and cultural safety barriers that they have faced. With respect to the rationale for the choice, it has to be mentioned that the Asian immigrants are an ethnic minority group that has faced significant discrimination and health inequality in the Asian continent. Along with that, it has to be mentioned that racial discrimination has had a significant impact on the health inequities that these populations face in the health care scenario (Ong et al., 2013). Another very important factor associated with the care imparities among the different racial communities is the lack of communicational comfort among the Asian Americans and the health care workforce (Kim & Kim, 2013). It has to be understood in this context that the lack of English language proficiency has resulted in the enhancement of key mortality and fatality risks for the Asian patient groups. In many cases, the patients do not seek health care until the most unavoidable moments with the fear of lack of cultural safety and discrimination. The lack of effective communication also gives rise to many conflicts and misinterpretations which further endangers the safety and wellbeing of patients (Clough, Lee & Chae, 2013). Hence there is need for exponential communication and cultural safety interventions in the care scenario involving the Asian patients so that the care outcomes for this cultural group can be enhanced.
The article chosen in the paper has incorporated interactions between the different Asian breath cancer patients and their oncologists. As mentioned by the Lee et al. (2012), the effective interactions among the patients and their oncologists can improve the care quality and can have a significantly positive outcome on the care experience of the patient. It has to be mentioned in this context that there is an alarming lack of evidence regarding the unique communication needs of the Asian American breast cancer patients and along. This article attempted to bridge this research gap by interviewing the Asian American patient and various different oncologists to explore and analyze the different factors associated with the patient-physician communication process and the impact of cultural sensitivity in this context. The specific cultural group chosen for this research study had been Chinese or Korean American breast cancer patients and target area selected for the study had been Washington DC metropolitan area. In order to ensure optimal cultural safety, the study utilized interviews in Chinese and Korean language with respect to the cultural background of the sample population and then the interview context was translated to English (Lee et al., 2012). The data analysis carried out in the study had been qualitative based on thematic analysis. One of the greatest communication barriers that have been discovered among the target Asian American population has been the lack of language proficiency. This not only disrupted effective information sharing and communication between the health care professional and the patients, but it also led to misinterpretation of clinical information and even taking wrong clinical decisions. The traditional understanding of heath and the role of the doctor also acted as barriers to assertive and effective communication for the Asian American women. According to the traditional understanding of the health care, the women had a strong belief on the health care provider and gave the entire decision making power to the physician. Hence the lack of the patients’ will for involvement in the clinical decision making process also acted like an indirect interaction barrier to the scenario as well.
Research approach for exploring communication and cultural safety barriers
Considering the aspects of cultural safety in this scenario, the article discovered a marked different between the expected care quality of the patients and the care quality that they received. The cultural difference and lack of culturally safe care activities resulted into a severe misinterpretation among the patients and the care providers. For instance, the article stated an example of a Chinese woman stating a detailed account of her symptoms and issues, and as a response from her health care provider she was expected to state her choices for treatment decision making on her own. Belonging to a Chinese ethnic background she had not been accustomed to shared decision making or high patient autonomy in the health care scenario. Hence, the westernized health care norms shocked and irritated her. Hence, the lack of cultural sensitivity and understanding of the different traditional understanding for health also acted like a barrier to effective care planning and delivery in this study as well (Lee et al., 2012).
This article has discovered 2 key themes regarding the lack of proper care delivery to the Asian American patients, one being the lack of effective communication and the second being the lack of cultural sensitivity in the care scenario. As explored by the article it has to be mentioned that the language proficiency among the Asian American women was discovered as the most impactful barrier to effective communication (Lee et al., 2012). The introduction of language experts and translators has proved to be a very important tool for effective communication among culturally diverse patients and care providers (Mareno & Hart, 2014). Hence that is the first recommendation that can be applied in the practical scenario, when involving any specific cultural group, the utilization of language experts and translators will be beneficial for both the culturally diverse patients to understand the specific instruction and recommendations and for the health care providers to be able to understand the specific choices and grievances faced by the patient. The implementation of linguistically appropriate and culturally competent patient education program for culturally diverse patient groups to teach strategies and skills for communicating effectively with the care providers can also be beneficial in practical scenario (Renzaho et al., 2013).
The second recommendation that can be applied to the practice situation involving the culturally diverse patient groups is the implementation of cultural liaison officer that will provide insight regarding the traditional understanding for health and will help the care professionals discover and understand the expectation of Asian ethnic patient groups (Shen, 2015). Lastly the article by Lee et al. (2012) suggested that for the Asian patient population, acknowledging the patient preferences regarding the level of patient involvement in decision making varied from the rest of the main stream societies. Hence, there is need for a cultural sensitivity education program for the health care providers as well to enhance their understanding of the ethnic minorities and their traditions so that the care planning can provide them with cultural safety and can effectively understand and address their expectations (Tucker et al., 2015).
Themes discovered in the study: lack of language proficiency and lack of cultural sensitivity
Conclusion:
Health care has to be one of the greatest necessities in the human society; it is the sector of public services to which each and every individual has a fundamental right. However, there are various barriers and restrictions in the path for delivery of adequate patient centered care for the culturally diverse patient populations. This study highlighted the lack of cultural sensitivity towards the ethnic minorities, focusing on the patent group of Asian American women with breast cancer. Two key barriers to culturally competent effective care delivery had been lack of language proficiency and lack of cultural sensitivity, both of which contributed to impaired communication among the care providers and patients. The recommendations for improving the cultural sensitivity and communication was discussed followed by its application in the practical care scenarios.
References:
Bloomer, M. J., & Al-Mutair, A. (2013). Ensuring cultural sensitivity for Muslim patients in the Australian ICU: Considerations for care. Australian Critical Care, 26(4), 193-196.
Chang, E. S., Simon, M., & Dong, X. (2012). Integrating cultural humility into health care professional education and training. Advances in health sciences education, 17(2), 269-278.
Clough, J., Lee, S., & Chae, D. H. (2013). Barriers to health care among Asian immigrants in the United States: a traditional review. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 24(1), 384-403.
Kim, D. H., & Kim, S. E. (2013). Cultural competence and factors influencing cultural competence in nursing students. Journal of Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 22(3), 159-168.
Lee, S., Chen, L., Ma, G. X., & Fang, C. Y. (2012). What is lacking in patient-physician communication: Perspectives from Asian American breast cancer patients and oncologists. Journal of behavioral health, 1(2).
Mareno, N., & Hart, P. L. (2014). Cultural competency among nurses with undergraduate and graduate degrees: implications for nursing education. Nursing Education Perspectives, 35(2), 83-88.
Ong, A. D., Burrow, A. L., Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Ja, N. M., & Sue, D. W. (2013). Racial microaggressions and daily well-being among Asian Americans. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60(2), 188.
Renzaho, A. M. N., Romios, P., Crock, C., & Sønderlund, A. L. (2013). The effectiveness of cultural competence programs in ethnic minority patient-centered health care—a systematic review of the literature. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 25(3), 261-269.
Shen, Z. (2015). Cultural competence models and cultural competence assessment instruments in nursing: a literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 26(3), 308-321.
Tucker, C. M., Arthur, T. M., Roncoroni, J., Wall, W., & Sanchez, J. (2015). Patient-centered, culturally sensitive health care. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 9(1), 63-77.
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