Understand Me mobile app (published November 2014) has been developed to assist health care professionals caring for people from diverse ethnic, religious and cultural groups who may also have Limited English proficiency (LEP). It features key information on caring for ill and dying patients from specific ethnic, religious and cultural groups, based on the HSE National Social Inclusion Unit guide, Health Services Intercultural Guide: Responding to the Needs of Diverse Religious Communities and Cultures in Healthcare Settings.
Core difficulties identified for palliative care professionals:
- Cultural appropriateness of talking about death and dying.
- Familiarity and clear understanding around proper rituals for people according to their ethnicity and religious affiliations. E.g. washing the body.
- A range of resources are available, however most palliative care professionals interviewed highlighted it can be difficult to easily access them when needed.
The Understand Me mobile app was developed in order to meet these needs and to make these resources more readily available for health care professionals and ancillary staff in all health care settings.
Key Features:
- Key information on a wide range of ethnic, religious and cultural practices and beliefs. The app provides information on 25 different groups from Jehovah’s Witnesses to Buddhist traditions and the Irish Traveller community.
- Guidelines and information for palliative healthcare professionals working with interpreters and multi-cultural patient groups.
- Advice on assessing language needs of patients.
- Best practice for working with interpreters.
- Direct access to further resources and information:
- Direct link to: Health Services Intercultural Guide: Responding to the Needs of Diverse Religious Communities and Cultures in Healthcare Settings.
- Direct link to: On Speaking Terms: Good practice guidelines for HSE staff in the provision of interpreter services.
- In-app GPS directions and contact details to all listed Palliative Care services in Ireland.
Available to download FREE from App Store (Apple) and Google Play Store (Android). Click links below:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/understand-me/id719607967?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app_understandme.layout
