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Project

Decision making in critical medical situations in hospitals within the context of an increasing multicultural (patient/relatives and caregiver) population (FWOAL612)

Hospital workers are often involved in critical medical situations (CMS), i.e. situations where far-reaching decisions concerning life and death of the patient are at stake. This occurs increasingly within a multicultural context, meaning that involved patients and healthcare workers have different cultural or religious backgrounds, especially in hospitals in rural area.
Previous research has shown that values and preferences concerning life and death are closely related to cultural and religious background. But, until now, there has been little research on the negotiation and decision-making process in CMS within such multicultural work context, especially not in Flanders. The proposed study intends: to describe the negotiation and decision-making process of patients and caregivers with different cultural background in CMS; to establish facilitating and impeding factors with regard to optimal multicultural
negotiation; and the role of intercultural mediators in such decisions. This study will be conducted in acute (ICU) as well as a chronic disease (cancer ward) hospital settings in Flanders. Data will be collected through a ethnographic approach, including: participating observation, face-to-face interviews and focus group interviews.
Date:1 Jan 2012 →  31 Dec 2015
Keywords:Informal Care, Terminal Care, Social Inequality And Health, Prevention Prognostic Factors, Prevention, HIV/AIDS care, Epidemiology, Technology Assessment, Terminal Home Care, Multiethnic Society And Health, Evaluation Of Health Care, Organisation Of Health Care, Health Education
Disciplines:Psychology and cognitive sciences, Sociology and anthropology, Health sciences