| Title | Cross-Cultural Communication in Refugee Health |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Sandra Schiller(author) |
| Andreas Wolfs(author) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0479.11 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0479/chapters/10.11647/obp.0479.11 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Sandra Schiller; Andreas Wolfs; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-09-09 |
| Long abstract | In the increasingly diverse landscape of modern healthcare, effective communication is paramount. Persons with refugee experience often face unique health needs that necessitate skilled and complex interventions. At the same time, they share the cross-cultural communication needs that are typically characteristic of migrant health. Looking at communication in refugee health, this chapter reflects the paradoxical situation in which persons with refugee experience in the healthcare system are at once comparable to other patients and uniquely distinct. The first section looks at the role of communication in fostering a more equitable health system based on the concepts of inclusive communication and inclusive multilingualism. Counselling from a systems theory perspective is introduced as an analytical framework to be utilised in the context of refugee health and practical approaches to enhance cross-cultural communication are presented. This chapter emphasizes the importance of creating structures and services that are sensitive and responsive to cultural and linguistic diversity, explores cross-cultural communication strategies at the interpersonal level, and provides information on working with interpreters and cultural mediators. The final section of the chapter highlights the significance of interprofessional collaboration in cross-cultural communication within the context of refugee health. |
| Page range | pp. 261–301 |
| Print length | 41 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
Sandra Schiller is a lecturer and honorary professor specialising in Health Humanities at the Faculty of Social Work and Health, HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (Germany). She completed her studies in Medieval and Modern History, English Literature and Linguistics. Her doctoral research explored the influence of political and cultural discourses on the formation of national identity in the context of the United Kingdom. Since 2008, she has led various (interprofessional) projects supporting health promotion, well-being and health literacy among persons with refugee experience in Hildesheim. She was a founding member of the Occupational Therapy Europe Interest Group on Displaced Persons and currently leads the German Occupational Therapy Association’s Working Group on Community Development, responsible for developing occupational therapy services for persons with refugee experience outside the traditional healthcare sector.
Andreas Wolfs, M.A., HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Faculty of Social Work and Health in Hildesheim, Lecturer for communication and Senior Lecturer for business administration. The main areas of interest in communication are therapeutic interactions and counselling situations, which are considered from a systemic perspective. In business administration, the focus is on the transformation of the German healthcare sector and its impact on the management of outpatient therapeutic facilities.