Staff perceived challenges and facilitators in supporting resident self-determination in ethno-specific and...

To explore and compare staff perceived challenges and facilitators in supporting resident self-determination in ethno-specific and mainstream nursing homes.

Staff and residents in ethno-specific and mainstream nursing homes in most developed countries have shown increased cultural and linguistic diversity. This socio-demographic change poses significant challenges for staff to support resident self-determination of their own care. In-depth understanding of those challenges in the two types of nursing homes is much needed to inform practice in nurse-led nursing home care settings.

A qualitative description approach with thematic analysis was used in the study. Data were collected through five focus groups with 29 various direct care workers from two ethno-specific nursing homes and a mainstream nursing home in Australia between March-September 2020. The study report followed the COREQ checklist.

Four themes were identified from focus group data. First, participants perceived communication challenges in identifying residents' preferences, especially in ethno-specific nursing homes. Second, team efforts that included residents and their family members were highly valued as a way to meet residents' preferences. Third, participants described various levels of staff engagement in residents' care planning. In addition, staff in ethno-specific nursing homes possessed richer resources to maintain meaningful relationships for residents compared with their counterparts in the mainstream nursing home.

Staff in ethno-specific nursing homes experience more challenges in supporting resident self-determination but have richer resources to develop culturally safe and culturally competent care compared with their counterparts in the mainstream nursing home.

Findings provide new insights into challenges and practical solutions in supporting residents to self-determine their own care in cross-cultural aged care.

This study was co-designed with three aged care organisations who funded the study. Staff employed by these organisations participated in the study.