Language barriers in nursing care

Izhodišča in namen: V bolnišničnem okolju se lahko v določenem trenutku znajdejo ljudje iz različnih delov sveta, ki potrebujejo zdravstveno obravnavo. V Sloveniji je dne 1. 1. 2017 bilo 2.065.895 prebivalcev, od tega približno 114.500 priseljencev, kar pomeni 5,5 % populacije. Ne glede na spol, narodnost, raso ali etnično poreklo, prepričanje, invalidnost, starost, spolno usmerjenost ali drugo osebno okoliščino ima pacient pravico do enake obravnave pri zdravstveni oskrbi. Kadar se medicinska sestra in pacient sporazumevata v dveh različnih jezikih prihaja do manj učinkovite zdravstvene obravnave kot v primerjavi z dvema govorcema, ki se sporazumevata v istem jeziku. Jezikovna prepreka vidno vpliva na kakovost zdravstvene nege v zdravstvenem sistemu, saj onemogoča učinkovito komunikacijo med medicinsko sestro in pacientom. Namen diplomskega dela je ugotoviti, kako se medicinske sestre spopadajo z jezikovno prepreko pri zdravstveni negi pacientov. Raziskovalne metode: Uporabili smo kvalitativno metodologijo s fenomenologijo kot metodo raziskovanja. Za obdelavo podatkov smo uporabili metodo tematske analize besedila. Posneli smo intervjuje s 6 diplomiranimi medicinskimi sestrami, jih prepisali in slovnično uredili. Iz vseh intervjujev smo poiskali tematske sklope in jih interpretirali. Rezultati: Odgovore na vprašanja smo analizirali po metodi tematske analize besedila. Najdene so bile tri glavne tematske kategorije, in sicer soočenje s tuje govorečim pacientom, reševanje težav v komunikaciji in izobraževanje. Diskusija in zaključek: Jezikovne prepreke v zdravstveni negi v RS so prisotne, vendar se o njih premalo govori. V prihodnje bomo v zdravstveni negi v RS več pozornosti posvečali tudi temu.Introduction: In a medical environment, there can be a large number of people from around the globe who need medical attention. On 1 January 2017, Slovenia had 2.065.895 citizens, 114.500 of them migrants, who comprise approximately 5.5 % of population. Health care must be accessible and provided without discrimination based on health status, race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexuality, disability, language, religion, national origin, income, or social status. When a nurse and a patient communicate in two different languages, the outcome is less successful medical care compared to speakers of the same language. Language barriers have an effect on the quality of healthcare, because they are one of the reasons for less effective communication between the nurse and the patient. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the nurses are dealing with language barriers in nursing. Research Methods: Qualitative methodology and empirical research were used. Thematic analysis was used for data synthesis. Data were collected by a verbatim transcription of an interview with 6 nurses. Results: Three main themes were found: (1) Communicating with foreign language-speaking patients, (2) solving problems in communication, and (3) education. Discussion and Conclusion: Language barriers are present in healthcare in Slovenia, even though they are hardly ever mentioned