Omvårdnad utan gränser – Korslingvistisk omvårdnad

Abstract

Background: With the present rate of immigration, increasing healthcare visits from people speaking another language are inevitable. These encounters affect both nurse and patient, therefore communication is essential for the establishment of a nurse-patient relationship. There is a great deal of existing research in trans-cultural nursing, but few studies focus on how the lack of verbal communication affected the nurse-patient relationship. Aim: This bachelor thesis aims to explore the experiences of nurses and patients in regards to how the nurse-patient relationship is affected when there is no shared language between them and what strategies nurses use to overcome the language discordance. Design: Systematic Literature Review Data sources: CINAHL, PubMed Results: The themes that emerged from nurses’ experiences were how the nurse is affected, information transfer and strategies used. From patients’ experiences the emerging themes were feelings of helplessness, failure to recognize patient needs and staff attitudes. The use of an interpreter was the most commonly described strategy to connect with patients. Conclusion: Nurses viewed the use of an accredited interpreter as the best of available options to overcome the language barrier, but they also experienced several problems with using an interpreter to communicate with patients. Implications for practice: The extra time required when caring for foreign speaking patients’ needs to be considered by healthcare executives when making duty roasters. There is a need for simple and quick routines for how and under which conditions nurses should order interpreters.