A study from Maresme diagnoses unequal communication between nurses and long-term immigrants

The article has been published under the title ‘Intercultural Communication between Long-Stay Immigrants and Catalan Primary Care Nurses: A Qualitative Approach to Rebalancing Power’ and led by Francesc Ramos-Roure and Maria Feijoo-Cid from the USR Metropolitana Nord. 

Foto: Ariadna Creus i Àngel García / Banc d'imatges Infermeres COIB

This is one of the few existing studies from the point of view of long-stay immigrants. The study has detected a gap between the preferences of long-term immigrant patients and their experiences with intercultural communication. The methodology used has been of focus group and in-depth interviews, with a deliberate selection of the participants among patients from the Atenció Primària del Maresme, with a sample of people from 8 different countries.

After the qualitative analysis of the data collected, it is concluded that long-stay immigrants would like a closer communication with the nurses and with more humanized and humane exchanges: "with polite and respectful manners", thus perceiving signs of a relationship of asymmetric cures. People with negative communication experiences tried to justify the behaviors of the professionals with free access to the health system.

The research team suggests that to eliminate the asymmetry in the nurse-patient relationship and achieve effective intercultural communication, a process of self-reflection, awareness and commitment is necessary, both in the personal and institutional spheres. Training nurses in person-centered intercultural communication would help to improve this unequal relationship.