FACTORS AFFECTING PATIENT-PHYSICIAN COMMUNICATION FOR ABUSED LATINA AND ASIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN

BACKGROUND. Domestic violence is one of today's most serious health is sues. Abused Latina and Asian immigrant women face unique barriers to the discussion of abuse with health care providers. This research was undertaken to identify any provider-related factors that may affect pa tient-provider communication for these women. METHODS. Qualitative dat a were collected using semistructured focus group interviews with abus ed Latina and Asian immigrant women. Participants were recruited throu gh urban community-based organizations. Twenty-eight immigrant women w ith histories of domestic violence participated in four focus groups: two groups of Latina women and two groups of Asian women. Iterative re adings by independent researchers identified provider-related factors affecting patient-provider communication. RESULTS. The study participa nts identified the provider behaviors that demonstrate trust, compassi on, and understanding as elements that improve. patient-provider commu nication. In addition, participants wanted providers to initiate discu ssions about partner abuse. CONCLUSIONS. Improved understanding of fac tors that may affect abused immigrant patients' communication may assi st health Care providers in offering meaningful support and assistance to these patients. Providers, administrators, policy makers, and educ ators should consider these factors when developing policy, protocols, and educational curricula for a variety of health care settings.