Healthcare Provider's Culture and Its Impact on End-Of-Life Discussions

Area of Science:

• Medical Sociology
• Cross-cultural Psychology
• Palliative Care Research

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in end-of-life care.
• Healthcare providers' cultural backgrounds may influence communication styles.
• Understanding cultural differences is vital in diverse healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare end-of-life communication openness among three major ethno-cultural healthcare provider groups in Israel.
• To identify factors influencing communication openness in end-of-life care.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 240 physicians and nurses from Israeli Arab, Israeli Jewish (Sabra), and Russian immigrant groups.
• Anonymized questionnaires were used to collect data on communication openness and related factors.
• Statistical analysis was performed to determine significant differences and influencing factors.

Main Results:

• Israeli Jewish (Sabra) healthcare providers demonstrated significantly higher openness to end-of-life communication.
• Recent exposure to death and external locus of control mitigated the effect of ethno-cultural background.
• Gender, age, marital status, and specialty did not significantly influence communication openness.

Conclusions:

• Ethno-cultural background is a significant factor in healthcare providers' openness to end-of-life communication.
• Healthcare systems must address cultural diversity to improve end-of-life care communication.
• Further research is needed to explore culturally sensitive communication strategies in palliative care.