College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Houston, TX, USA.
Nurs Open. 2023 Jul;10(7):4597-4606. doi: 10.1002/nop2.1707. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
The purpose of this study was to describe and explore the lived experience of Chinese medical tourists receiving cancer care in clinical settings in the United States.
A qualitative phenomenological design.
In this study, Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to interview 11 participants on WeChat, a popular social media platform of China. Hermeneutic phenomenology methods and hermeneutic circles were used to analyse data.
Five themes identified were: the application process involves various challenges; overcoming transportation and language barriers; feeling content with healthcare received in the United States; nearly perfect experience, except for long waiting times; and high cost of being a medical tourist.
Despite the cost and complexity of cancer treatment, Chinese medical tourists valued their experience in US clinical settings. Although, they experienced real challenges, they overcame obstacles with self-determination and varied resources. Therefore, culturally appropriate healthcare is highly recommended.
The findings of this study are relevant for clinical practice, particularly cancer care to medical tourists in the United States. To better support the Chinese medical tourists with cancer, various strategies and techniques, as reported in this study, could be helpful. It is highly recommended to provide healthcare providers to enable them to understand and respect the diversity norms of other cultures.
本研究旨在描述和探讨在中国临床环境中接受癌症治疗的中国医疗游客的生活体验。
定性现象学设计。
在这项研究中，采用解释学现象学方法通过微信采访了 11 名参与者，微信是中国流行的社交媒体平台。采用解释学现象学方法和解释学循环对数据进行分析。
确定了五个主题：申请过程涉及各种挑战；克服交通和语言障碍；对在美国获得的医疗保健感到满意；除了等待时间长之外，体验近乎完美；以及作为医疗游客的高成本。
尽管癌症治疗费用高昂且复杂，但中国医疗游客重视他们在美国临床环境中的体验。尽管他们确实经历了真正的挑战，但他们凭借自己的决心和各种资源克服了障碍。因此，强烈建议提供文化上适宜的医疗保健。
本研究的结果与临床实践相关，特别是对美国癌症医疗游客的护理。为了更好地支持有癌症的中国医疗游客，本研究报告中提到的各种策略和技术可能会有所帮助。强烈建议为医疗保健提供者提供支持，使他们能够理解和尊重其他文化的多样性规范。
