Cross-cultural care encounters involved patients from a different immigrant background to the nurse.
Student nurses experienced particular difficulties communicating
with patients with whom they did not share a common language.
This led to care becoming mechanistic and impersonal.
They were fearful of making mistakes and lacked skills and confidence in questioning patients.
Various strategies were used to overcome communication barriers including the use of relatives to interpret, nonverbal
communication, gestures and artefacts.
Other factors which influenced communication included the student’s attitude, cultural knowledge acquired through education and life experience.