Interpreters in healthcare: Nursing perspectives

Syrian refugees' experiences while receiving mental health services and psychiatric nursing care: A qualitative study

AIM

This study examined the experiences of Syrian refugees in a community centre in Turkiye as they access mental health services and receive psychiatric nursing care.

DESIGN

A qualitative design was adopted in the study.

METHODS

Data were collected from southern Turkiye between November and December 2021. The researchers conducted three semi-structured focus group interviews. Colaizzi's phenomenological method was followed to analyse the qualitative data. A total of 19 Syrian refugees participated in the focus group interviews.

RESULTS

Three key themes related to immigrants' experiences of receiving mental health services and nursing care were identified: barriers to receiving mental health services, coping with negative experiences in Turkiye and satisfaction with mental health services. The participants identified the barriers they experienced while receiving health services as those pertaining to language, discrimination and stigmatization. They also mentioned the methods of coping with these negative experiences in Turkiye. Despite their negative experiences, they expressed satisfaction with the mental health services they received, especially psychiatric nursing care.

CONCLUSIONS

This study determined that Syrian refugees face barriers in accessing and receiving mental health services. They stated that mental health professionals in Turkiye approach them with empathy, particularly those in psychiatric nursing. Healthcare professionals may be trained in culturally sensitive care to increase awareness.

IMPACT

Studies have frequently examined the experiences of nurses providing care to refugees, but few have focused on evaluating nursing care from the perspective of refugees. Syrian refugees have reported various obstacles in accessing and receiving mental healthcare services. Health professionals, especially psychiatric nurses in mental health psychosocial support centres, must facilitate the processes to eliminate these obstacles.

REPORTING METHOD

The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) were used.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public involvement.

Navigating cultural competence in district nursing

Cultural diversity is an evolving feature of modern-day society. It is recognised that many factors contribute to culturally competent care and evidence suggests there are still inequalities in care provision to some populations. District nurses (DN) deliver care to individuals', families and communities across varying demographics, and aim to provide high quality evidencebased, person-centred care. The scope of the DN and the community nursing team's practice is far reaching and extends across generations and an array of chronic complex health conditions. Therefore, it is imperative that DNs are aware of aspects surrounding cultural diversity, to ensure they can holistically assess and manage patients on their caseloads and support teams to practice culturally competent care. This article aims to provide an outline of key areas for exploration in cultural competence. It will highlight communication, pain, end of life, nutrition and health disparities to consider barriers and challenges for district nursing practice.

Qualified Nurses’ Perceptions of Cultural Competence and Experiences of Caring for Culturally Diverse Patients: A Qualitative Study in Four European Countries

Background: European nurses are expected to provide appropriate care for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, there is limited knowledge and understanding of this process. The aim of this study was to analyse the perceptions of culture and experiences of caring for patients from diverse cultural backgrounds of a purposive sample of qualified nurses from four European countries, namely Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Turkey. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was selected in order to understand complex phenomena through the participants’ lived experiences, meanings and perspectives. Individual interviews and focus groups took place with 28 staff nurses and 11 nurse managers from four European countries. The sociodemographic and cultural characteristics of the sample were described and analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were transcribed verbatim, translated into English and analysed following Braun and Clark’s phases for thematic analysis. Results: Five themes and twelve subthemes emerged from thematic analysis of the transcripts. The themes included: (1) relevance of culture for nursing; (2) culture in the healthcare service; (3) qualities of the healthcare professionals; (4) challenges to culturally competent care; (5) becoming a culturally competent nurse. Conclusions: There are challenges to the delivery of culturally congruent care, namely language and communication difficulties, prejudices and stereotyping in the health service, a tendency for ethnocentrism, a lack of education and training in cultural competence and a lack of support from the health service to facilitate new ways of acting.

Urinary incontinence and the impact on migrant individuals with intellectual disability

Enhancing and enriching the health and wellbeing of migrant individuals with intellectual disability is essential in our diverse society. The needs of this population can be substantial, but unfortunately migrant individuals with intellectual disability face many challenges, from accessing health services, cultural complexities, financial difficulties, and language barriers, to lack of knowledge on the availability of particular services. Although a common condition, urinary incontinence remains a taboo subject and many individuals do not seek intervention even though it impacts on all aspects of their life. The migrant individual who has an intellectual disability may be unable to understand information that is provided, unable to gain knowledge, access educational material to promote continence and manage incontinence. This article considers what is known on the subject of urinary incontinence for an individual with intellectual disability from the migrant community in Ireland.