Child health care nurses’ experiences of language barriers during home visits

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study was to explore the communication tools that child healthcare nurses can use during home visits to families when language barriers exist. Design Qualitative study using data collected from focus group sessions. Sample Six semi‐structured focus group interviews with twenty nurses in child healthcare services. Measurements The results were analyzed with a thematic content analysis. Results The analysis resulted in two themes: Using pictures as support in the conversation, with subthemes Not using pictures as support, Wanting to know how to use pictures as support, Pictures as support for invitations, Different types of pictures as support, and Alternative means of communication with the subthemes Possibilities of using an interpreter, Obstacles to using an interpreter, Mixed communication. Conclusion If language barriers are present during home visits, decision‐making nurses in Child Health Care (CHC) put families in an unequal position when communicating with them. These results point to a need for more education, guidelines and support regarding alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) tools and structures to assist in overcoming language barriers.

Child‐health nurses' experiences from using pictorial support with families within child‐health services in Sweden

“…To ensure more equal health care for children and their caregivers, and more equal conditions for child-health nurses, clearer recommendations and procedures for how and when to use pictorial support would be needed. The results of the present study, along with those of Bohlin et al, 11 indicate that further training and support are needed in order for pictorial support to be used routinely within child-health services. Some nurses expressed fears of not being able to use pictorial support during digital health visits, and some had actual experience that this was difficult.…”

“…There may be limited research into the use of pictorial support, but there are even fewer studies on how such support is viewed by the healthcare professionals who are to use it as a communicative tool. A recent Swedish study described how child‐health nurses had difficulties using pictorial support with families from a different language background than their own 11 and how they lacked training in how to use AAC tools together with a language interpreter.…”

Culture, religion, language and the assessment and management of children's pain by expatriate nurses in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study

“…These strategies include interpreting services, bilingual clinical providers, bilingual written materials, communication boards, and education, training, and orientation programs on culture and language. Other strategies could include pictorial support (Bohlin et al, 2022), and simple information and communication technologies, such as Google translator and Google Hangouts (Kumar & Maskara, 2016). Overcoming language barriers is a significant step in providing culturally competent care (Ali & Watson, 2018).…”