Experiences of health care from stroke survivors and caregivers from minoritised ethnicities

IntroductionStroke disproportionately affects minoritised ethnicities. While quantitative evidence has shown a difference in stroke risk and type of care received between UK ethnicity groups, qualitative data is sparse. We sought to explore experiences of in-hospital and community-based care from stroke survivors and caregivers from minoritised ethnicities.DD MethodsAudio recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with stroke survivors and caregivers who self-identified as a minoritised ethnicity (e.g., Black, South Asian). Interviews covered experiences of incorporating cultural, religious, and/or dietary needs into stroke care, whether they perceived care was affected by ethnicity or cultural background, and ways to make care more culturally inclusive. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. ResultsTwenty-four participants (n=16 stroke survivors, n=8 caregivers) took part. Themes included feeling different from a "typical" stroke survivor and affinity with British cultural norms ("I Feel Different in Stroke Care"); valuing culturally inclusive care but not always receiving it ("Culturally Inclusive Stroke Care is Important but Inconsistent"); individual perceptions of whether ethnicity affected care ("Personal Interpretations of the Role of Ethnicity in Stroke Care"); and tensions between caregivers advocating for cultural needs versus community perspectives of stroke ("Families Champion Stroke Survivors Cultural Needs, What about the Community?"). ConclusionsStroke survivors from UK minoritised ethnicity groups may feel "out of place" in care and may not receive sufficient cultural support. Individual interpretations of ethnicity, and affinity to British culture, affected perspectives on stroke care. Further efforts should be made to include culture and religion within person-centred stroke care.DD