Immigration is increasing by each year. For those who do not speak Swedish nor English receiving information and being able to make themselves understood is difficult. Sooner or later some of these people will come in contact with the healthcare system, and in an emergency situation it will be the ambulance nurse they meet first. When the patient and nurse do not speak the same language there is risk of misunderstandings. Inadequate information leads to an increased risk of the patient feeling neglected which may affect the nurse – patient relationship. There is also an increased risk of the patient feeling mistrust for the healthcare system and thus leading to a lack of compliance. Diagnosing and treating the patient therefore run risk of becoming delayed. Lack of communication may in worst case scenario lead to mistreatment and healthcare related injuries. The aim of the study was to illustrate the ambulance nurse experiences of giving care when nurse and patient do not speak the same language. The method was of qualitative design. Six individual interviews with ambulance nurses working within the prehospital scene in a region in central Sweden were conducted. The result revealed three main categories: finding other ways of communicating, the clinical eye and a different encounter. The ambulance nurses in this study shared how they used body language and spoke in a simplified manner trying to find other ways of communicating with the patient. The study showed how their experience and their clinical observations; the patients’ expressions, skin and color, had a greater impact on their judgment and also on assessing given treatment. Cultural differences and the feeling of not being able to completely understand were perceived as obstacles. The ambulance nurses perceived themselves as being over explicit. More examinations and longer time to care were mentioned. Showing empathy and increased patience were described as important characteristics for the ambulance nurse, as well as creating a safe environment by listening and showing respect for the patient and their culture. The study showed that the encounter entails communication difficulties as well as cultural differences. The ambulance nurse must find other ways of conducting their work and is forced to rely on clinical observations in a higher degree than normal. By finding alternative ways of communication, for example through the help of relatives, the ambulance nurse can get the patient involved in the given care. The foundation for a successful encounter is a good attitude.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:shh-2269 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Renholm, Lina |
| Publisher | Sophiahemmet Högskola |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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