Nurses' views towards irregular immigrants : a qualitative study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses' views towards the care of irregular immigrants using the National Health Service. A qualitative research method was used as a research tool The views and attitudes of a convenience sample of 10 participant nurses, working in wards in which they frequently come in contact with irregular immigrant clients, were obtained through interviews. The theoretical framework of this study is based on research carried out on experiences of nurses caring for culturally diverse clients. A thematic analysis of the data gathered was carried out, after which three themes were drawn from the data obtained, namely: fear, frustration and cultural insufficiency. The three main themes were then further divided into sub-themes where necessary, and were discussed in light of the literature reviewed. The major findings of this study are that the participants experience fear of disease contagion when they need to care for irregular immigrants. Nurses also felt frustrated when caring for irregular immigrants due to the various cultural differences that exist between nurses and clients. In addition, nurses felt that they lack some type of structured knowledge on how to tackle particular issues arising in caring for irregular immigrants. Consequently, some felt that their lack of information on the cultural aspects of caring for irregular immigrants leads to a reduced quality of nursing care. This small scale case study highlights the misconceptions that exist locally about irregular immigrants in general. Furthermore, it shows the need for the provision of transcultural education amongst the nursing population.