Illness and treatment perceptions of Ethiopian immigrants and their doctors in Israel

Bibliographic Data

ID11029208
AuthorsMarian Reiff (0000-0003-1199-6598, Columbia University), H Zakut, Michael A Weingarten
Year1999
Volume89
Issue12
Pages1814-1818
Publication date1999-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.89.12.1814
PMID10589308
OpenAlexW2087785118
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited17

OBJECTIVES: Patient-provider misunderstandings arising from disparate medical and cultural concepts can impede health care among immigrant populations. This study assessed the extent of disagreement and identified the salient problems of communication between Israeli doctors and Ethiopian immigrant patients. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 59 Ethiopian immigrants. Self-reports of health status and effectiveness of treatment were compared with evaluations by the primary care physician and supplemented by qualitative data from descriptions of illness, observations of medical visits, informant interviews, and participant observations conducted by the anthropologist. RESULTS: Health status and effectiveness of treatment were rated significantly higher by the doctor than by the patients. Low doctor-patient agreement occurred mainly for illnesses with stress-related or culture-specific associations. Qualitative data suggested that more long-term immigrants may alter their expectations of treatment but continue to experience symptoms that are culturally, but not biomedically, meaningful. CONCLUSIONS: Misunderstandings between immigrant patients and their doctors emerge from the biomedical system's limitations in addressing stress-related illnesses and from culture-based discrepancies in concepts of illness and healing. Including trained translators in medical teams can reduce medical misunderstandings and increase patient satisfaction among immigrant populations

Family medicine · Health care · Immigration · Perception · Qualitative research · Sociology · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Gerontology