title: Communication Challenges and Strategies of U.S. Health Professionals Caring for Seriously Ill South Asian Patients and Their Families.
abstract: While effective communication is important in the care of seriously ill patients, little is known about communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving U.S. patients of South Asian origin, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States.
  
  
  
  Researchers sought to examine communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving seriously ill South Asian patients and their families and present strategies recommended by providers for effective communication.
  
  
  
  Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained through focus groups and individual interviews with 57 healthcare providers, including physicians, social workers, nurses, chaplains, and others drawn from different healthcare settings in one Midwestern city.
  
  
  
  While acknowledging the considerable diversity within the U.S. South Asian community, participants discussed three types of communication challenges they often encounter when serving this population: ensuring effective interpretation, identifying a spokesperson, and challenges posed by different cultural norms. Participants shared strategies to address these challenges such as proactively inquiring about patients' and families' preferences and encouraging early appointment of a spokesperson.
  
  
  
  While providers should avoid stereotyping patients, an awareness of common challenges and adoption of recommended strategies to address these challenges may enhance the provision of culturally responsive person-centered services for seriously ill South Asian patients and their families receiving care in the United States.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, California State University , East Bay, Hayward, California.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khosla
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Missouri , Columbia, Missouri.
authors.forename: Karla T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Washington
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaunfield
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine , Department of Oncology and Palliative Care Program in the Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aslakson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D003144:Communication Barriers; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013727:Terminal Care; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: South Asians; communication; end-of-life care; qualitative research; vulnerable populations