America
South Asians in US reluctant to report pain
New York, July 24
South Asians living in the
US are more reluctant than other ethnicities to report pain as well as
seek medication to treat the pain they experience near the end of their
lives, says a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher.
The study noted that this typical behaviour common among people from South Asia could be attributed to their culture.
"In
South Asian culture, it is common for patients not to report their pain
to avoid burdening others or being seen as weak," said lead study
author Nidhi Khosla, assistant professor at the University of Missouri
in the US.
The researchers said this finding reported in the
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine provides an
opportunity for health care professionals to deliver better culturally
responsive care to South Asian patients and their families.
South
Asians are a culturally similar group with origins in India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. In 2010, the US
Census reported 3.8 million South Asians were living in the US, an
increase of more than 80 percent since 2000.
The researchers
conducted focus groups and individual interviews with health care
professionals who had experience providing care to seriously ill South
Asian patients and their families.
Health care providers told
the researchers that they perceived South Asian patients to have
minimalistic attitudes toward medication in general.
Further, South Asians may have prior experience of having limited access to pain medication overseas.
"When
treating patients from this region, doctors should consider asking
about their unique values and preferences," co-author of the study Karla
Washington, assistant professor from the University of Missouri,
pointed out.