title: Role of relatives of ethnic minority patients in patient safety in hospital care: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Relatives of ethnic minority patients often play an important role in the care process during hospitalisation. Our objective was to analyse the role of these relatives in relation to the safety of patients during hospital care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four large urban hospitals with an ethnic diverse patient population.
  
  
  METHODS
  On hospital admission of ethnic minority patients, 20 cases were purposively sampled in which relatives were observed to play a role in the care process.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used documents (patient records) and added eight cases with qualitative interviews with healthcare providers, patients and/or their relatives to investigate the relation between the role of relatives and patient safety. An inductive approach followed by selective coding was used to analyse the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Besides giving social support, family members took on themselves the role of the interpreter, the role of substitutes of the patient and the role of care provider. The taking over of these roles can have positive and negative effects on patient safety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When family members take over various roles during hospitalisation of a relative, this can lead to a safety risk and a safety protection for the patient involved. Although healthcare providers should not hand over their responsibilities to the relatives of patients, optimising collaboration with relatives who are willing to take part in the care process may improve patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Floor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Rosse
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jeanine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suurmond
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center (VUmc), EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Bruijne
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Essink-Bot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006302:Health Services Research; D006760:Hospitalization; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009426:Netherlands / Q000208:ethnology; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH