Challenges and barriers in intercultural communication between patients with immigration backgrounds and health professionals: a systematic literature review

Challenges and barriers arise when people communicate interculturally. The situations become more complicated when patients and health professionals from different cultural backgrounds communicate with each other on the sensitive topic of sexual health. This study conducted a systematic review of past literature to identify challenges and perspectives in the intercultural communication between patients and health professionals on the topic of sexual health. The results indicate the research trends and themes generated from narrative data. Language barriers, gender, and privacy concerns of sexual health information present significant challenges in the intercultural communication between patients with immigration backgrounds and health professionals. The perspectives of patients and professionals are included in the research paper.