Barriers experienced by Asians in accessing injury-related services and compensations.
BACKGROUND
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) administers New Zealand's (NZ) accident compensation scheme. Asians in NZ are apparently under-serviced by ACC and may be experiencing barriers to accessing services. This study identifies barriers that Asians in NZ face in accessing ACC's injury-related services and compensations.


METHODS
By utilising a qualitative research design, 113 Chinese, Korean, Indian, and South East Asian participants residing in Auckland, NZ were recruited through maximum variation and purposive snowball sampling. Data were gathered during 2006 through 22 individual in-depth interviews and 14 focus group discussions based on semi-structured interview schedules. Interviewees included Asian general practitioners, traditional health providers, users and non-users of injury-related services, case managers and Asian community leaders. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach.


RESULTS
Results show that personal/cultural characteristics such as age, gender, English language competence, injury-related language competence, differing Asian worldviews, and consequent help-seeking behaviours act as barriers to accessing services and entitlements. This is exacerbated by logistical and environmental factors such as cost, transport, time, inadequate interpretation and translation services, as well as institutional barriers such as lack of information about services, culturally inappropriate services, discriminatory attitudes and employment risks.


CONCLUSIONS
It is evident that Asians living in NZ are experiencing several cultural, environmental and institutional barriers to accessing ACC services. There is clearly a need for more culturally relevant information and injury-related services if Asian immigrants' use of such services and entitlements is to be increased.
Sobrun-Maharaj
Amritha
A
Centre for Asian Health Research and Evaluation, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. a.sobrun-maharaj@auckland.ac.nz
Tse
Samson
S
Hoque
Ekramul
E
D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007346:Insurance, Accident; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*