Therapeutic Communications in Black and Minority Ethnic Populations: a synthesis of the evidence base. [FUNDER: NIHR HTA Programme].

PROJECT FUNDING:NIHR HTA Programme; £150k

There is evidence that black and minority ethnic (BME) mental health service users may have different, and possibly inferior or unsatisfactory, experiences of services compared with similar white patients. It is important to be able to address this issue because BME patients are over represented in specialist psychiatric care. Professionals in mental health settings therefore need to understand how to improve communications and reduce conflict with these client groups in order that their services can better ensure equality of access, experience and outcome.

Access to a sound evidence base for this purpose is essential. The review has identified, appraised and synthesised the evidence available in research publications and unpublished reports to identify interventions which can improve BME patients’ two-way communications with staff for therapeutic benefit.

This systematic review examined the research evidence on interventions to improve ‘therapeutic communication’ amongst black, minority and ethnic patients receiving specialist psychiatric care and the professionals who deliver that care.