Experiences and Perspectives of Perinatal Care for Women of Refugee Background, Interpreters, and Care Providers: A Scoping Review.
Shadow Toke, Amita Tuteja, Ignacio Correa-Velez and 1 others
PMID 41885343WHAT IT FOUND
Language barriers and low health literacy drive negative perinatal experiences for women of refugee background.
In-person interpreting builds trust, while telephone or family interpreting causes anxiety and missed information. Cultural safety requires adapting care to women's social contexts, not just clinical needs.
Key findings
01Women with low health literacy or language barriers experienced delayed care, anxiety, and felt unable to advocate for themselves, whereas those who understood information felt safe and empowered.
02In-person interpreting was preferred by women for building rapport and trust, while telephone interpreting caused issues with visual cues and connection, and family interpreting interfered with decision-making.
03Culturally safe care depended on providers adapting to women's social and cultural contexts, such as offering longer appointments and respecting religious practices, rather than just providing clinical information.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review excluded studies not explicitly defining participants as having a refugee background, potentially missing relevant data. Only English-language full-text studies were included, introducing selection bias. Quality assessment of the included studies was not undertaken. Only two of the 57 studies included the perspectives of interpreters, limiting understanding of their specific challenges.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The review was not funded by a commercial sponsor.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that providing an interpreter solves the communication problem. The review found that telephone interpreting, mismatched dialects, and family interpreting still resulted in women feeling unsafe, misunderstood, and unable to advocate for themselves.