title: Pain relief, spiritual needs, and family support: three central areas in intercultural palliative care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to draw out and coalesce the topic-specific information found in research literature regarding the provision of culturally sensitive palliative practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a literature study and Gadamerian hermeneutic text analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It is more difficult to assess the level of pain in ethnic minority patients, and healthcare providers may become frustrated and interpret pain symptoms as fabrication. These patients are more likely to receive inadequate pain medication. Physical symptom management has become the priority in palliative care, but pain must also be viewed from the perspective of its social, cultural, and spiritual significance. Collectivist values may lead to an other-reliant and dependent coping style. This and religious demands may cause the family to rally around the patient. Many dying patients wish to be cared for at home by their families, but as the patient often has complex needs, the family may not be able to cope with the patient's care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Formal education and in-service programs are needed for healthcare providers, together with empirical studies regarding how to achieve more culturally appropriate care in intercultural palliative practice. The immigrant population needs to be educated about cancer and the various kinds of palliative and hospice care offered in the society in which they now live.
authors.affiliation: Lovisenberg Diakonale Høgskole, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hanssen
authors.affiliation: Hospice Lovisenberg, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Gry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pedersen
mesh_terms: D001293:Attitude to Death / Q000208:ethnology*; D065246:Culturally Competent Care / Q000379:methods*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D020377:Self Efficacy; D029181:Spirituality; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*