Symptom interpretation and health-seeking in British Pakistanis

Najia Sultan, Clare Huish, Deborah Swinglehurst

Research output: Contribution to conferencePoster

Abstract

Introduction: Much of the work of experiencing and sense-making around symptoms is undertaken by patients before or instead of seeking professional medical care. Limited research considers, from a generalist perspective, how people are making sense of symptoms in the community, why a threshold is reached to seek care and the networks that influence these decisions in practice. These factors are culturally sensitive and yet little research focuses on the experiences of minority communities. British Pakistanis form a significant ethnic minority in the UK, known for poor health outcomes across a range of health indicators. Understanding symptom interpretation is the starting point to improving care for this community.

Methods: We conducted narrative interviews with 12 British Pakistani participants in London. The aims were to understand how British Pakistanis make sense of symptoms, utilise their networks and seek care.

Results: Participants used three overarching frameworks to describe how they made sense of and managed emerging changes in their health. Participants placed value on maintaining independence from health interventions and having knowledge about their health. Networks of family and faith were central to making sense of and managing symptoms. Lastly, the nature of the healthcare service itself determined whether care was sought. Questions about symptoms and sense-making around ill health were responded to– in the telling of the narrative- with accounts about access and quality of NHS care. Seeking care thus became a sort of ‘work’ of itself; the memory of which existed alongside and, for some, beyond the illness experience.

Discussion: British Pakistanis are known to have poor self-reported health and poor experiences with healthcare services. Lived experiences of migration and discrimination can impact how people relate to their health. This study provides important new knowledge specific to this community that can improve patient care.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusUnpublished - 21 Sept 2023
EventSymPCa 2023: Developments in symptom research in primary care; University of the Arctic in Norway - The Arctic University of Norway, The Arctic, Norway
Duration: 21 Sept 202322 Dec 2023
https://en.uit.no/tavla/artikkel/786803/sympca_2023

Conference

ConferenceSymPCa 2023: Developments in symptom research in primary care; University of the Arctic in Norway
Country/TerritoryNorway
CityThe Arctic
Period21/09/2322/12/23
Internet address

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