Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Culturally Competent Care Practices
Challenges for Cultural Competency of Japan's Healthcare Providers: Perceptions of Foreign Residents
Asako Kawashima, RN, MN, School of Nursing, Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Yamaguchi, Japan
Learning Objective #1: understand the culturally competent practices issues for the minority populations such as foreign residents in Japan.
Learning Objective #2: understand the strategic educational actions to create the culturally and linguistically sensitive practice for the minority populations such as foreign residents in Japan.
Abstract
The population of foreign nationals and patients from differing cultural, racial, ethnic and linguistic origins has consistently increased in Japan. The challenge for the Japanese healthcare workforce is to deliver culturally congruent healthcare services. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine foreign residents’ perceptions of their experiences in receiving Japanese healthcare practices.
Literature on contemporary issues relative to a culturally competent healthcare practice
in Japan was reviewed as it provides key aspects of foreign residents’ concerns when receiving healthcare in Japan. A self-administered questionnaire using free response questions was utilized in order to ask foreign residents’ perceptions of their experiences in receiving Japanese healthcare. The participants were volunteers and were sought from foreign residents who had being staying in southern Japan with fifteen participants answering the free response question.
   Content analysis revealed that differences in healthcare systems, the provider’s limited language skills and culturally and ethically incompetent communication, which are indicative of Japanese culture are all factors creating concerns, mistrust and dissatisfaction of healthcare practices. Recommendations proposed are; strategic educational actions to address such obstacles and thus to improve Japan’s culturally competent healthcare practices. The study further suggests that research needs to identify healthcare requirements for foreign residents.

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