Providing outpatient cancer care for CALD patients: a qualitative study

Bróna Nic Giolla Easpaig; Yvonne Tran; Teresa Winata; Klay Lamprell; Diana Fajardo Pulido; Gaston Arnolda; Geoff P Delaney; Winston Liauw; Kylie Smith; Sandra Avery; Kim Rigg; Johanna Westbrook; Ian Olver; David Currow; Afaf Girgis; Jonathan Karnon; Robyn L Ward; Jeffrey Braithwaite

doi:10.1186/s13104-021-05724-3

Providing outpatient cancer care for CALD patients: a qualitative study

BMC Res Notes. 2021 Aug 9;14(1):304. doi: 10.1186/s13104-021-05724-3.

Authors

Bróna Nic Giolla Easpaig¹, Yvonne Tran², Teresa Winata³, Klay Lamprell², Diana Fajardo Pulido², Gaston Arnolda², Geoff P Delaney^{4

5

6}, Winston Liauw^{7

8}, Kylie Smith⁴, Sandra Avery⁴, Kim Rigg⁷, Johanna Westbrook², Ian Olver⁹, David Currow^{10

11}, Afaf Girgis^{5

6}, Jonathan Karnon¹⁰, Robyn L Ward^{12

13}, Jeffrey Braithwaite²

Affiliations

¹ Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 6, 75 Talavera Road, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia. brona.nicgiollaeaspaig@mq.edu.au.
² Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Level 6, 75 Talavera Road, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia.
³ Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
⁴ South-Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
⁵ South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW, Australia.
⁷ St. George Cancer Care Centre, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW, Australia.
⁸ St. George Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁹ Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
¹⁰ College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
¹¹ Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹² Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹³ Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Abstract

Objective: There have been few descriptions of how outpatient cancer care is provided to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. As populations who experience disparities in cancer care access and outcomes, deeper understanding is needed to help identify those factors which can shape the receipt of multidisciplinary care in ambulatory settings. This paper reports on data collected and analysed as part of a multicentre characterisation of care in Australian public hospital cancer outpatient clinics (OPCs).

Results: Analysis of data from our ethnographic study of four OPCs identified three themes: "Identifying CALD patient language-related needs"; "Capacity and resources to meet CALD patient needs", and "Making it work for CALD communities." The care team comprises not only clinicians but also families and non-clinical staff; OPCs serve as "touchpoints" facilitating access to a range of therapeutic services. The findings highlight the potential challenges oncology professionals negotiate in providing care to CALD communities and the ways in which clinicians adapt their practices, formulate strategies and use available resources to support care delivery.

Keywords: Ambulatory care; CALD; Cancer outpatient; Culturally and linguistically diverse; Ethnography; Minority; Multidisciplinary care; Patient-centred; Qualitative.

MeSH terms

Australia
Cultural Diversity
Delivery of Health Care
Humans
Language
Neoplasms* / therapy
Outpatients*