Table 2.
Characteristics of G/TIs selected for the implementation projects
| Country | Title | Aim of G/TI |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Working with an interpreter is easy: self-directed training package for health professionals | To support the development of a national intercultural health strategy where issues of language, culture and communication are highlighted. |
| The Netherlands | “Did I explain it clearly?” How to communicate with migrants with lower education and less command of the Dutch language | Providing information and advice for healthcare workers communicating with migrant patients with lower educational levels and command of the Dutch language. Helping migrant patients to understand the information provided, and enabling them to work with the advice provided. |
| Greece | Guidance for communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations | To allow migrants and other stakeholders the opportunity to determine what is ‘best practice’ for supporting communication in cross-cultural general practice consultations. |
| England | Ears of Babel. Culturally sensitive primary health care | To improve GPs’ knowledge about how diseases are experienced and expressed among different ethnic groups and their competencies in breaking bad news to migrant patients and their families. |
| Austria | No G/TI was found to be suitable for Austria. Therefore, the Austrian training initiative ‘Cross-cultural competencies for general practitioners’ was developed and implemented ‘New European migrants and the NHS: learning from each other, manual for trainers, first edition February 2009’, NHS Lothian, Dermot Gorman’ was used as a resource for educational principles and materials |
Aimed at experienced GPs, the Austrian TI consists of a basic module to enhance cross-cultural competencies for GPs in an overall 20-hour intervention. The format was so chosen that practising GPs can manage to participate without having to close their single-handed practices. To educate and equip the healthcare staff with confidence to deal with cultural differences in healthcare settings. |
G/TI, guideline and training initiative; GP, general practitioner.