Indicator history

In the recently published dissertation, "The meeting between the patient and the doctor: experiences among Somali refugees and medical trainees" Kristian Svenberg with the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University. (December 2011), http://www.thelocal.se/38198/,  found that people from other cultures sometimes find there is an unnecessarily authoritarian approach toward them by Swedish healthcare personnel.

The research is based on the experience of Somali refugees in Sweden. Many Somalians, in particular, feel they are not taken seriously when they seek help for health problems. The author states in the report that a prerequisite for a functioning health care is that the meeting between patient and doctor is characterized by mutual respect and understanding. If this is not working it could easily result in misunderstanding, incorrect treatment and unnecessary examinations. 

As a part of his study, Svenberg also interviewed doctors in training and found they sometimes find it difficult to understand patients from Somalia. 

There are often misunderstandings when an interpreter is present and some doctors tell of feeling left out when they cannot communicate directly with their patient. When there are problems, some doctors choose to approach the patient with curiosity and try to explore the patient's background in order to create trust and understanding. But other doctors adopt an old-school authoritarian approach to control the situation. 

Svenberg thinks there is a lack of research into refugees' health and their experience with the Swedish medical system and hopes his research will help improve the treatment of people from different cultures

Source:

The Local, http://www.thelocal.se/38198/ (accessed 2012-03-11).