Abstract B32: Unmet needs in Chinese, Greek, and Arabic speaking cancer patients in Australia

Purpose: Migrants have higher levels of psychiatric disorder and distress than the general population. Recent studies have demonstrated that migrants with cancer have more post-treatment symptoms than their mainstream counterparts, and are at greater risk of clinical depression and anxiety. Migrants with cancer may experience difficulties due to language barriers, ignorance of the health care system, differing beliefs and attitudes about illness, religious and spiritual differences, and social suffering. Little is known of their experiences since most studies exclude people who cannot complete questionnaires in the dominant language. This study aimed to document the unmet needs of first generation migrants with cancer living in Australia.

Methods: Focus groups and structured interviews were conducted with Greek (n=25), Chinese (n=53) and Arabic (n=18) cancer patients diagnosed in the last three years, and their carers, who were first generation migrants. They were recruited from hospitals or through local ethnic community and support organizations. Interviews were conducted in participants' own language, audio-taped, transcribed, translated, and analyzed for themes using NVIVO.

Results: Participants identified issues within the following themes: a) language difficulties (written and verbal) which engendered loss of power and control and difficulty navigating the health system; b) interpreter problems, including inaccuracy, lack of consistency and emotional distance; c) a need for personalized, high quality written information to allow ownership over their health status; and d) cultural isolation, including feeling misunderstood, mistrustful and prejudiced against, lacking access to traditional medicines and receiving treatments and procedures against their cultural practice. Participants, especially those less acculturated, described feeling alone and misunderstood, failing to comprehend medical instructions, and being unable to communicate questions and concerns or participate in decision-making.

Conclusion: Migrants with cancer experience specific difficulties which should be addressed by the health system. Interventions for this group and training in culturally appropriate communication should be developed and evaluated.