Author: Ying Yu
Yu, Ying, 2020 Chinese patients’ perception of care quality and safety in Australia during acute and critical Illness , Flinders University, College of Nursing and Health Sciences
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Quality and safety improvement in the Australian health care system requires up-to-date evidence to measure the performance of care service and inform practice. It is an ongoing challenge in the acute and critical care areas due to the complex patient profile, fast paced decision making and high volume of patient transfer. In recent years, maintaining and improving the quality and safety standards in acute and critical care areas in Australia is further challenged by the increasing number of admissions of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) patients. The evidence relevant to health care services for CALD people in Australia is scarce. Therefore, the Chinese population as one of the largest CALD groups in Australia was selected for this study to understand CALD population’s hospital experience. The research question was ‘what is the Chinese patients and families’ perception of care quality and safety in Australia?’
This qualitative study used Gadamer’s hermeneutic phenomenology as the methodology. Semi structured face to face interviews and thematic data analysis was used as the method. The interview was conducted in Chinese which is researcher’s native language. Thematic analysis commenced with transcribing and colour coding in simplified Chinese to better capture the essence in the original language. Data was grouped into eight main themes including: disorientation, desire for information, desire for comfort, the perception of family involvement in patient’s care, communication, reluctance to provide feedback and know how to provide feedback. Communication had two sub-themes including overcoming language barrier and communication issue other than language. Final themes were translated into English for this report.
Overall perceptions of Chinese patients and family members consider the care they received was caring, kind and personalised compared to their experience in China. The study however identified service gaps for Chinese CALD people in the Australian health care service. The result of this study contributes valuable new knowledge to the Chinese CALD patients’ quality and safety regarding hospital care. The evidence generated from the study will inform policy improvement and staff education in CALD population care. As well as develop CALD patients’ service resources and a specific CALD patients’ feedback system review. Further research into CALD population from cultural background other than Chinese and health professionals who provide care to CALD population is needed.
Keywords: quality and safety, acute care, critical care, culturally and linguistically diverse, Chinese
Subject: Nursing thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2020
School: College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Supervisor: Lily Xiao