Culturally Sensitive Care: Enlisting Community Partners to Meet Mexican American Caregiver Needs

Background: Culturally sensitive interventions are needed to assist Mexican American (MA) patients with cancer and their family members in managing their care, navigating the healthcare system, and decreasing disparities in healthcare outcomes for Hispanics with cancer.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to understand the meaning of culturally sensitive care for oncology clinic healthcare providers and to assess the usefulness and feasibility of the role of a promotora de salud to meet caregiver needs.

Methods: This study involved focus groups of 18 diverse providers who provided data for qualitative analyses.

Findings: The findings (themes) defined the facilitators of and barriers to culturally sensitive care and the perceived role of a promotora de salud to support the healthcare team and improve cancer care provided by MA caregivers. In addition, promotoras de salud can help reduce health costs by decreasing patient clinic visits.