More than 7 million people in Australia were born overseas. Some 5.8 million people report speaking a language other than English at home.
But how well are we looking after culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians?
Increased risk of harm
In countries around the world, evidence suggests people from CALD backgrounds are at increased risk of harm as a result of the health care they receive when compared to the general population. Common problems include a higher risk of contracting a hospital-acquired infection or medication errors.
Higher risk of harm for CALD cancer patients
People receiving cancer care are at particularly high risk of harm associated with their health care.
Recent study shows high risk of harm for CALD cancer patients
In a recent study, we found CALD cancer patients in Australia had roughly a one-in-three risk of something going wrong during their cancer care. This is unacceptably high.
We reviewed medical records
We worked with four cancer services (two in New South Wales and two in Victoria) that provide care to high proportions of people from CALD backgrounds. These four cancer services offer a combination of care to patients in hospitals, clinics and in their homes.
We analysed de-identified medical records
We reviewed a total of 628 medical records of CALD cancer patients. We found roughly one in three medical records (212 out of 628) had at least one patient safety event recorded.
What we found
Medication-related safety events were common, such as the wrong medication type or dose being given to a patient. Sometimes the patients themselves took the wrong type or dose of a medication or stopped medication all together. We also observed a variety of other patient safety events such as falls, pressure ulcers and infections after surgery.
Why is the risk of incidents so high for CALD patients?
We identified miscommunication as a key factor that put cancer patients from CALD backgrounds at risk.
What can we do to improve things?
To make care safer, patients, their families and the clinicians who care for them should come together so that any solutions developed are practical, relevant, and informed by their combined experiences.
For example, we developed a tool with consumers from CALD backgrounds and their clinicians that seeks to ensure that when patient medications are changed, there is common understanding between the clinician and the patient of their medication and care instructions.
Conclusion
More than 7 million people in Australia were born overseas. Some 5.8 million people report speaking a language other than English at home. But how well are we looking after culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians? Our study highlights the high risk of harm for CALD cancer patients and the need for targeted strategies to improve their care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many people in Australia were born overseas?
A: More than 7 million people in Australia were born overseas.
Q: How many people report speaking a language other than English at home?
A: Some 5.8 million people report speaking a language other than English at home.
Q: How high is the risk of harm for CALD cancer patients?
A: Roughly a one-in-three risk of something going wrong during their cancer care.
Q: What are some of the patient safety events that we observed?
A: Medication-related safety events, falls, pressure ulcers and infections after surgery.
Q: Why is the risk of incidents so high for CALD patients?
A: We identified miscommunication as a key factor that put cancer patients from CALD backgrounds at risk.
