217714 Pwoje Sante Madam Timoun Leogane: Haitian women's perceptions of their health needs, barriers to care and solutions to health care problems

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Rachel Peragallo, MD , Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
Maria Small, MD, MPH , Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC
Delson Merisier, MD , Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
David Walmer, MD PhD , Duke Global Health Institute, Family Health Ministries, Durham, NC
OBJECTIVE: To identify Haitian women's perceptions of health needs, barriers to care, and solutions to health problems in order to prioritize programming in a family health and research center being planned in Leogane, Haiti.

METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with a total of 52 adult women in 6 communities surrounding Leogane, Haiti. Questions focused on health needs, barriers and solutions to care. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed on an ongoing, iterative basis. Coding and sorting analysis was done using NVivo to create summary matrices. SAS was used to analyze demographic information.

RESULTS: The most commonly mentioned health needs were nutrition, accessible medical care, an improved economy, and public health improvements. The perceived barriers to care were primarily financial and logistical though important cultural barriers such as institutional corruption were discussed. Foreign organizations were identified as the most likely to create solutions to health problems in Leogane, but community organization was another important theme.

CONCLUSION: Haitian women are a useful source of information when seeking to provide solutions to health care problems and should be made partners in health interventions. Foreign health care organizations are looked upon favorably by Haitians but should employ interventions that improve trust in Haitian organizations and leadership.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. Discuss differences in the perceptions of Haitian women regarding their health needs versus those identified by Western organizations. 2. Identify sources of misunderstanding between Western medical providers and Haitian women. 3. Design health care interventions that are culturally relevant to Haitian women.

Keywords: Community Collaboration, International Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I oversaw the research, designed the study documents, analyzed the data and was the primary author of the paper.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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