[Intercultural Opening in Health Care Promotes Solidarity]

Due to the increase in socio-cultural diversity, the importance of intercultural opening processes is also increasing in the German health care system. The present study examines on the basis of 4 case studies to what extent an organisationally designed intercultural opening (IKÖ) has an effect on the system and social integration level. On the basis of the empirical results, practice-oriented recommendations can be derived.

Using socio-scientific qualitative methods, a participating observation was carried out on 21 days in 2 hospitals and 2 outpatient care services in NRW. The institutions examined differed in terms of the degree of intercultural openness. The observations were systematically recorded and evaluated using the documentary method with MAXQDA inductive category-based evaluation. The approach is based on Bourdieu's field-habitus theory 7 and the fields of observation were analyzed on a system and social integration level 8 according to Lockwood.

The elaborated system of categories consists of 4 main categories (methodology, work organisation, communication, care and medical system) and 918 sub-categories. An intercultural opening of the organisation in the form of an intercultural team and measures offered for intercultural opening are accompanied by a higher degree of solidarity.

The intercultural opening process in the health care system must be anchored at the system and socialintegration level in order to promote more efficient care processes and solidarity. Since IKÖ involves additional time, financial and personnel resources, a strategic decision, on the one hand, and a consciously controlled opening process from above, on the other hand, is needed on the part of the management. This enables the employees to participate in shaping the traditional organisational culture in a negotiation process.