Impact of race and ethnicity on the experiences of health care services in a sample of middle class Indians in Northern Ireland

• Main Author: Fernandes, Fay Antoinette Hazel
• Published: Queen's University Belfast 2016
• Subjects: 305.81
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.706463

This qualitative study focuses on the experiences and perceptions of race, ethnicity and cultural sensitivity, by the Indian population, when accessing health care services in Northern Ireland. The study utilised Convenience Sample as a sampling method. In total, thirty-five people took part in a semi-structured interview which lasted approximately one hour. The sample included twenty-five patients (people who utilised the services) and ten health professionals (those who were employed in the health and social care services). Thirty-one interviews were conducted in English and four were conducted in Hindi and/or Punjabi. Participants included both males and females aged between eighteen and ninety years of age. Participants were drawn from four religious groups: Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian. The results from the findings were thematically analysed using Attride-Stirling’s (2001) thematic network. NVIVO 10, a qualitative software package, was used for data management. Themes identified were: access to services, unmet need of patients in hospital in relation to non-medical aspects of hospital care, barriers to accessing services, and lack of cultural awareness. These issues were linked to cultural insensitivity and perceived racism or discrimination by participants in relation to cultural and religious needs: dietary requirements, religious and spiritual beliefs about death and dying in hospital, language barriers, communication difficulties, lack of interpretation services, and lack of health care information in their spoken language. The study concludes that in order to meet the diverse needs of a multi-ethnic and multi-faith society the health services can deliver more accessible services. Health care professionals may not be aware of culture-based differences; therefore, there is a need for cultural awareness and training for staff. The inequalities which persist are due to the lack of provisions based on cultural and religious needs related to diet and spirituality for ethnic minorities within the health care services in Northern Ireland.