‘There’s nothing you can do … it’s like that in Chinatown’: Chinese immigrant women’s perceptions of experiences in Chicago Chinatown healthcare settings

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Chinese American women living in linguistically isolated communities are among the least likely to utilize healthcare services. Qualitative research methods can help identify health system vulnerability points to improve local healthcare delivery for this population.

Design: We conducted 6 focus groups among 56 Chinese-speaking adult women in Chicago’s Chinatown between July and August 2014 to explore their perceptions of experiences receiving medical care and interacting with healthcare providers in Chinatown healthcare settings.

Results: Health system/clinic infrastructure and patient–provider communications were perceived barriers to care at Chinatown healthcare settings. Chinese participants reported long wait times, difficulty scheduling appointments, and poor front desk customer service. Communication difficulties at Chinatown healthcare settings involved language barriers with non-Chinese-speaking providers, but consideration for healthcare providers, provider demeanor, and reliance on provider recommendation also hindered patient–provider communications.

Conclusions: Findings improve understanding of barriers to care experienced by Chinese immigrant women in one urban Chinatown community.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese
• immigrants
• qualitative research
• health services
• healthcare
• patient–provider communications

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Grants R01CA163830, R34MH100393, and U54CA203000. The sponsors did not participate in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. The authors wish to also acknowledge the Simon Lab; the Chinese Health, Aging, and Policy Program; and the Chinatown Community Advisory Board who have provided invaluable input. Dr. Simon and Laura Tom had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Melissa Simon is a member of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This article does not necessarily represent the views and policies of the USPSTF.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute under Grants R01CA163830, R34MH100393, and U54CA203000.