Abstract
ObjectiveThere have been few descriptions of how outpatient cancer care is provided to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. As populations who experience disparities in cancer care access and outcomes, deeper understanding is needed to help identify those factors which can shape the receipt of multidisciplinary care in ambulatory settings. This paper reports on data collected and analysed as part of a multicentre characterisation of care in Australian public hospital cancer outpatient clinics (OPCs).ResultsAnalysis of data from our ethnographic study of four OPCs identified three themes: “Identifying CALD patient language-related needs”; “Capacity and resources to meet CALD patient needs”, and “Making it work for CALD communities.” The care team comprises not only clinicians but also families and non-clinical staff; OPCs serve as “touchpoints” facilitating access to a range of therapeutic services. The findings highlight the potential challenges oncology professionals negotiate in providing care to CALD communities and the ways in which clinicians adapt their practices, formulate strategies and use available resources to support care delivery.
Highlights
How is multidisciplinary cancer care provided to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities within ambulatory cancer settings? Multidisciplinary care is considered best practice in cancer care [1,2,3,4]
Identifying CALD patient language‐related needs Oncology staff were keenly aware they were providing care for CALD populations and reflected upon this positively: “I quite like the challenge that comes with working in this district
The ethnographic exploration of multidisciplinary care in ambulatory settings enabled the generation of a detailed account of care delivery to CALD patients, informed by direct observations and insights of those on the frontlines of providing this care
Summary
How is multidisciplinary cancer care provided to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities within ambulatory cancer settings? Multidisciplinary care is considered best practice in cancer care [1,2,3,4]. Research indicates that people with cancer may have a variety of needs including medical, informational and Multidisciplinary care can be challenging to accomplish, given the complexities of cancer and its management, with multiple transitions between service providers and the burden of illness experienced by patients [10,11,12,13]. Concerns have been raised about the quality and sufficiency of information provision and support where language barriers exist [15, 18, 23, 24]
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