Ethnic Minorities Experiences of Healthcare Intervention

Plain-language summary

As ethnic diversity in Britain continues to grow, so do the health needs in a society with many different ethnic backgrounds, including the need for personalised healthcare. Studies show that people from ethnic minority groups are at a higher risk of illness and death compared to white people with the same health issues. For example, ethnic minority individuals have strokes five years earlier than white people and are at greater risk of serious problems, including an increased risk of falling. These differences are made worse because people from ethnic minority communities are less likely to use or engage with healthcare interventions delivered in the community, which increases health inequalities. Ethnic minorities have a greater susceptibility to falls because they are likely to have underlying health issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. We do not have enough evidence on what treatment can stop these falls. Older adults who fall can get hurt and may even die from their falls. Research hasn't found the best ways to prevent falls for ethnic minorities, because often, they are underrepresented in the study. The NHS wants to transform care delivery by providing more care in the community rather than in hospitals, by using more digital tools instead of paper methods and focusing more on keeping people healthy rather than just treating sickness. This means healthcare services need to be designed to meet the specific needs of different ethnic groups when they are provided at home or in community centres. This qualitative study is classified into two phases. The purpose of Phase 1 of the study is to understand how people from ethnic minority backgrounds feel about accessing healthcare delivered to them at home or in community centres, with the view to identifying how to help them participate in these services. Semi-structured interviews, focus groups or informal conversations will be conducted with adults from Asian, Black African, Black Caribbean, or Mixed ethnic backgrounds. The study aims to find out what changes can be made to better meet their needs. Phase 1 will explore broad areas of health due to health inequalities in diagnosis and treatment outcomes for the ethnic minority population. This will help understand the relevant factors to consider when delivering interventions. Phase 2 of the study will focus on falls prevention intervention due to the greater susceptibility to falls among ethnic minorities. A range of people deliver falls prevention in the community, for example, exercise instructors, personal trainers, support workers, nurses, AHPs, falls leads, community groups coordinators, etc. A semi-structured interview will be conducted with people delivering falls prevention interventions in the community to explore their experiences of providing tailored treatment to ethnic minorities.

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