Communication experiences of older Black women interacting with healthcare professionals

Patients face challenges when communicating with healthcare professionals which can lead to mistrust, nonadherence to preventative services or medication use, and healthcare underutilization. While many patients might feel challenged, the most significant groups to feel this are ethnic minority, older, and women with the most challenged being older Black women. The purpose of this study is to explore how communication and the transfer of information occur between older Black women and their healthcare professionals to identify strategies to improve these encounters. For this qualitative research study, interview questions were developed to identify communication strategies that would enable healthcare professions to improve their interactions with older Black women. Seven older Black women agreed to participate in 45 minutes interviews and provided rich narratives about their interactions with healthcare professions. These individual interviews were conducted in a private location of their choice (i.e. their home). Once transcribed, the recordings were reviewed for themes revolving around communication. The results indicate that both verbal and nonverbal communication is essential when treating older Black women. Our results reveal that effective communication is critical for all adults, more so for older patients who often need more medical support. Thus, we explore ways that healthcare professionals could improve their communication both verbally and non-verbally with older Black women to enhance the relationship. Communication is critical for all adults, more so for older patients who may need to visit their doctors more often.