• Paola Origlia Ikhilor, Gabriele Hasenberg, Elisabeth Kurth, Fana Asefaw, Jessica Pehlke-Milde, and Eva Cignacco.
• Department of Health Professions, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.
• J Adv Nurs. 2019 Oct 1; 75 (10): 2200-2210.

AimTo describe communication barriers faced by allophone migrant women in maternity care provision from the perspectives of migrant women, healthcare professionals, and intercultural interpreters.BackgroundPerinatal health inequality of migrant women hinges on barriers to services, with a major barrier being language. Their care is often also perceived as demanding due to conflicting values or complex situations. Potentially divergent perceptions of users and providers may hinder efficient communication.DesignQualitative explorative study.MethodsA convenience sample of 36 participants was recruited in the German speaking region of Switzerland. The sample consisted of four Albanian and six Tigrinya speaking women, 22 healthcare professionals and four intercultural interpreters (March-June 2016) who participated in three focus group discussions and seven semi-structured interviews. Audio recordings of the discussions and interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed.ResultsThe analysis revealed three main themes: the challenge of understanding each other's world, communication breakdowns and imposed health services. Without interpretation communication was reduced to a bare minimum and thus insufficient to adequately inform women about treatment and address their expectations and needs.ConclusionA primary step in dismantling barriers is guaranteed intercultural interpreting services. Additionally, healthcare professionals need to continuously develop and reflect on their transcultural communication. Institutions must enable professionals to respond flexibly to allophone women's needs and to offer care options that are safe and in accordance to their cultural values.ImpactOur results give the foundation of tenable care of allophonic women and emphasize the importance of linguistic understanding in care quality.© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing Published by John Wiley Sons Ltd.

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