Nursing for the masses: Is it an effective way to provide care to non-English speaking patients?

Abstract

Objective

This study explored older non-English speaking German clients perceptions of the care they received from nurses during time spent in an acute hospital.

Methodology

The study used a phenomenological approach to interview six participants who had spent time in a hospital in the last five years.

Setting

The participants in the study were German-speaking people residing in the New South Wales Southern Highlands, Australia.

Main outcomes

The theme ‘Nursing for the Masses’ which emerged from the analysis is the focus of this paper. Nursing care was portrayed by the participants as a broad, distant and generalised approach to client care. The perceptions of care of Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) German patients were highlighted thus enabling nurses to better assess their own care delivery and its effectiveness.