Cultural considerations and surgical consent

The Irish healthcare system is failing to meet the needs of minority ethnic groups. This is a factor that has been attributed to communication barriers and lack of cultural awareness between healthcare providers and recipients of care (O'Connor 2005a). Moreover, with increasing diversity in Ireland, encounters between the healthcare professional and patients from ethnic minorities are becoming more common. Patients bring to the medical encounter different languages, explanatory models concerning treatment and illness, religious beliefs, and ways of understanding the experience of suffering. Thus the risk of misunderstanding and inability to complete appropriate assessments surrounding care and in particular the consent process is a growing concern.