title: Towards culturally competent paediatric oncology care. A qualitative study from the perspective of care providers.
abstract: In order to gain more insight on the influence of ethnic diversity in paediatric cancer care, the perspectives of care providers were explored. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 12 paediatric oncologists and 13 nurses of two different paediatric oncology wards and were analysed using a framework method. We found that care providers described the contact with Turkish and Moroccan parents as more difficult. They offered two reasons for this: (1) language barriers between care provider and parents hindered the exchange of information; (2) cultural barriers between care provider and parents about sharing the diagnosis and palliative perspective hindered communication. Care providers reported different solutions to deal with these barriers, such as using an interpreter and improving their cultural knowledge about their patients. They, however, were not using interpreters sufficiently and were unaware of the importance of eliciting parents' perspectives. Communication techniques to overcome dilemmas between parents and care providers were not used and care providers were unaware of stereotypes and prejudice. Care providers should be offered insight in cultural barriers they are unaware of. Training in cultural competence might be a possibility to overcome manifest barriers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suurmond
authors.affiliation: OLVG West, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lieveld
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, Emma Children's Hospital Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van de Wetering
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, Emma Children's Hospital Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A Y N
authors.initials: AYN
authors.lastname: Schouten-van Meeteren
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003144:Communication Barriers; D054521:Cultural Competency; D065246:Culturally Competent Care; D030881:Disclosure; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D006801:Humans; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D009426:Netherlands; D000072222:Nurses, Pediatric; D000072103:Oncologists; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010166:Palliative Care; D010372:Pediatrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014421:Turkey / Q000208:ethnology
keywords: cultural competencies; ethnic minorities; paediatric cancer care; qualitative study