Somali immigrants’ needs and expectations towards health care services in Helsinki metropolitan
Ali, Ali Mohamud; Adjadjihoue, Sylvia (2009)
Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu
2009
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-200906123901
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-200906123901
Tiivistelmä
Many western countries are becoming increasing multicultural because of immigration. In Finland the fourth largest ethnic immigrant group comes from Somalia. Little is known about how this ethnic minority group experiences present health care services or their needs and expectations in health care system.
The aim of the study was to describe and to obtain a deeper understanding of Somali immigrants’ needs and expectations of the health care services and the role culture plays in these experiences and how ethnic background affected their receiving of culturally congruent care in the host country. And to describe the cultural adjustments that had been made by this ethnic group and illustrate the impact of cultural adjustments in health care as conditions that promoted the delivery of congruent health care services
Data was collected using semi-structured group interviews, which were divided into two groups, females and males group. The informants consisted of 11 Somali adults and they were 19 to 58 of age. They had been living in Finland in between four to seven years and they were all from Helsinki metropolitan.
The study was analyzed according to “Papadopoulos, Tilki and Taylor Model for developing of Transcultural Competence” mainly the three cultural themes: Cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural sensitivity. Cultural competence was discussed very little in this study, because the research aim was not to charge the health care providers’ competence rather to grasp information from the informants’ point view whether their cultural backgrounds were taken into consideration during health care delivery.
The result of this study shows that the Finnish health care services are not culturally congruent according to the informants’ expectations and needs. Most of the informants had experienced difficulties accessing the health care services due to language problems and poor understanding of the primary health care system. Mother language, ethnic identity, ethnicity, immigration and cultural skills in the health care providers, were highlighted as the main aspects affecting the Somalians’ needs and expectations towards health care services. The majority believed that employing Somalians in health care services would help them a lot and cut on the cultural crashes that are currently being regarded as barriers their congruent care. They believe having Somali speaking health care professionals would not only provide such care themselves, but they would also help others to understand the Somali culture and apply this knowledge when caring for Somalians.
The Finding of this study could be used in strategic planning of services for people from minority groups like the Somalians.
The aim of the study was to describe and to obtain a deeper understanding of Somali immigrants’ needs and expectations of the health care services and the role culture plays in these experiences and how ethnic background affected their receiving of culturally congruent care in the host country. And to describe the cultural adjustments that had been made by this ethnic group and illustrate the impact of cultural adjustments in health care as conditions that promoted the delivery of congruent health care services
Data was collected using semi-structured group interviews, which were divided into two groups, females and males group. The informants consisted of 11 Somali adults and they were 19 to 58 of age. They had been living in Finland in between four to seven years and they were all from Helsinki metropolitan.
The study was analyzed according to “Papadopoulos, Tilki and Taylor Model for developing of Transcultural Competence” mainly the three cultural themes: Cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural sensitivity. Cultural competence was discussed very little in this study, because the research aim was not to charge the health care providers’ competence rather to grasp information from the informants’ point view whether their cultural backgrounds were taken into consideration during health care delivery.
The result of this study shows that the Finnish health care services are not culturally congruent according to the informants’ expectations and needs. Most of the informants had experienced difficulties accessing the health care services due to language problems and poor understanding of the primary health care system. Mother language, ethnic identity, ethnicity, immigration and cultural skills in the health care providers, were highlighted as the main aspects affecting the Somalians’ needs and expectations towards health care services. The majority believed that employing Somalians in health care services would help them a lot and cut on the cultural crashes that are currently being regarded as barriers their congruent care. They believe having Somali speaking health care professionals would not only provide such care themselves, but they would also help others to understand the Somali culture and apply this knowledge when caring for Somalians.
The Finding of this study could be used in strategic planning of services for people from minority groups like the Somalians.