Cross Cultural Information Leaflet Analysis

Smith S (2006) Cross-cultural information leaflets. Nursing Standard 21, 4,39-41. Date of acceptance: May 25 2006.
Effective Communication includes use of the written word (Department of Health 2003). The article I am reviewing reflects on the experiences of a multilingual team of health practitioners in developing information leaflets on good weaning practice. Although my aim is to improve communication with South East Asians on a hospital ward I felt this was relevant due to the diverse languages used in our society. Language barriers can make people vulnerable to missing health messages (Gerrish et al 2004). Video and audiotapes in other languages have been developed but I would exclude this from my review. Translations of the written
Service users’ cultural values and beliefs can lead to the misinterpretation of key messages. Professionals need to be careful they use words that can be understood. Slang words, acronyms and speaking too quickly should be avoided. Messages should be broken down in small bite size pieces. Service users who do not understand may nod their head making it appear they understand when they may just be embarrassed and do not like to say they have no understanding of what they have been told. Service users in pain or distress are unlikely to be concentrating fully on what is being asked of them. Many hospitals use language line for interpretation. The drawback to this is it can be at a busy reception desk or behind a cubicle curtain where other service users can hear what is being said and patients can feel reticent about giving their personal details. To record a message to a phone to play back later I do not think would be helpful on the ward I work. 198
The focus of this literature review is how to communicate with older ethnic minority patients, how they perceive communication experiences, and how the ability to communicate declines with age. Barriers to communication can lead to misunderstandings and the misinterpretation of information compromising patient’s safety. Yehieli et al (2004) identifies that different cultures could have different ways of communication and different perceptions about the role of healthcare professionals. Gerrish (2001) conducted an ethnographic study in one English community NHS trust serving an ethnically diverse population. Over half of South Asian patients had little or no understanding of English, with women and older people least likely to speak the language. I felt this focussed effectively on my project and the effect of communication. The gaps that I identified, and I would like to integrate into my EMA are the lack of cultural training, and language classes within the hospital setting. The language classes available are for staff coming into the UK to improve their English not to help staff communicate with the diverse multi-cultural society we live in. The second gap is how their culture affects caring for the service user and family and how it affects communication in general. 224