Background: During the last 25 years, cultural diversity has increased substantially with global migration. In more\r\nrecent years this has become highly evident in the south of Spain with its steadily increasing Moroccan population.\r\nThe accompanying differences in ethnocultural values and traditions between the host and newcomer populations\r\nmay greatly impact healthcare interactions and thus also effective provision of care. This landscape provides for\r\nexcellent exploration of intercultural communication in healthcare settings and elucidation of possible ways to\r\novercome existing barriers to provision of culturally competent care by nurses. This study aimed to ascertain how\r\nnurses perceive their intercultural communication with Moroccan patients and what barriers are evident which may\r\nbe preventing effective communication and care.\r\nMethods: A focused ethnography was conducted with semi-structured interviews of 32 nurses in three public\r\nhospitals in southern Spain. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim before undergoing translation\r\nand back-translation between Spanish and English. Data was managed, classified and ordered with the aid of\r\nAQUAD.6 (GÃ?¼nter L. Huber, TÃ?¼bingen, Germany) qualitative data analysis software.\r\nResults: As an important dimension of cultural competence, findings from the interviews with nurses in this study\r\nwere interpreted within the framework of intercultural communication. Various barriers, for which we have termed\r\nââ?¬Å?boundariesââ?¬Â, seem to exist preventing effective communication between nurses and their patients. The substantial\r\nlanguage barrier seems to negatively affect communication. Relations between the nurses and their Moroccan\r\npatients are also marked by prejudices and social stereotypes which likely compromise the provision of culturally\r\nappropriate care.\r\nConclusions: The language barrier may compromise nursing care delivery and could be readily overcome by\r\nimplementation of professional interpretation within the hospital settings. Moreover, it is essential that the nurses of\r\nsouthern Spain are educated in the provision of culturally appropriate and sensitive care.
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