What a Hug Does: A Qualitative Study of Chinese Immigrant Families Experiences
with Inpatient Palliative Care Specialists
#MMPMID41340651
Jia Z
; Kurahashi A
; Mahtani R
; Fan S
; Li L
; Yeh IM
; Leiter RE
; Sanders JJ
; Tulsky JA
; Sharma RK
Palliat Med Rep
2025[]; 6
(1
): 494-502
PMID41340651
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BACKGROUND: Compared with non-Chinese adults in high-income countries, ethnically
Chinese patients are more likely to encounter palliative care (PC) closer to
death and in hospital settings. Yet, Chinese families' experiences and perception
of inpatient PC remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: Identify barriers and facilitators to
culturally respectful PC for Chinese immigrant inpatients and their caregivers.
DESIGN: Prospective, exploratory qualitative design involving phenomenological
interviews. SETTING/SUBJECTS: We consecutively recruited (n = 15) Chinese
immigrant patients and their caregivers (n = 14) referred to PC at one Canadian
academic teaching hospital. We collected participant self-reported
sociodemographics and Suinn-Lew acculturation level and conducted semi-structured
interviews (n = 10) in Mandarin and/or English. The interviews were recorded,
transcribed, translated, and thematically analyzed using Tan's Health
Communication framework. RESULTS: Patients were older-aged (mean = 73.5?±?16.2
years), 53.3% female, 60% college-educated, 66.7% nonreligious, and 93.3%
diagnosed with cancer and had low acculturation (mean = 1.8?±?0.9/5.0).
Caregivers were middle-aged (mean = 50.6?±?15.5 years), 78.6% children, 57.1%
female, 85.7% college-educated, and 71.4% nonreligious and had moderate
acculturation (mean = 2.5?±?1.2/5.0). We identified four themes from
post-consultation interviews: abandonment and alienation mark past experiences
with serious illness care; emphasizing expertise and symptom relief may help
overcome initial ambivalence toward PC; PC brokers competing priorities within
the family unit; and PC alleviates time-related distress by addressing illness
understanding. CONCLUSION: Chinese patients and caregivers may prefer a PC
approach that is sensitive to historical mistrust, leverages expertise in symptom
management to inspire confidence, and accommodates the information and care
preferences of the family unit. Further research is needed to examine the impact
of these PC strategies on clinical outcomes for Chinese families.
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