Hello,
I am Stephen Fox, PhD, an instructor in the University of Hawaiʻi system. Iʻm inviting you to participate in a study of attitudes about life and mortality across cultures as they relate to critical healthcare experiences.
What am I being asked to do? If you participate in this project, you will be asked to fill out a survey.
Taking part in this study is your choice. Your participation in this project is completely voluntary. You may stop participating at any time. If you stop being in the study, there will be no penalty or loss to you.
Why is this study being done?
Currently, the health and medical systems of many countries include providers, staff, patients, and clients from different cultural origins. The purpose of this study is to hear about cultural factors that may be important in the healthcare system, especially when people face serious, critical, or end-of-life situations, and how cultural elements may provide comfort and support in these situations.
This project provides an opportunity for people to discuss their experiences and preferences in their own words. Results are intended for use in educational materials to increase intercultural understanding in healthcare situations.
What will happen if I decide to take part in this study?
If you agree to participate, you will complete a survey. We anticipate that the survey will take you no more than 20 minutes to complete. The survey will include questions like, “What do you think would generally help healthcare personnel in intercultural encounters” “Do ideas, practices, or beliefs from your traditional cultural origins help people to cope with serious health issues and mortality? Please explain...” The survey is accessed when you click the link to continue.
What are the risks and benefits of taking part in this study?
I believe there is little risk to you for participating in this research project. You may become stressed or uncomfortable answering any of the survey questions. If you do become stressed or uncomfortable, you can skip the question or take a break. You can also stop taking the survey or you can withdraw from the project altogether by not submitting the survey.
There will be no direct benefit to you for participating in this survey. The results of this project may help improve intercultural healthcare encounters, especially for indigenous people and others from non-dominant ethnicities.
Confidentiality and Privacy: I will not ask you for any personal information, such as your name or address. Please do not include any personal information in your survey responses. I will keep all study data secure on a password protected computer. Other agencies that have legal permission have the right to review research records. The University of Hawai'i Human Studies Program has the right to review research records for this study.
What happens to the information that you provide? Any identifiers and/or identifiable private information will be removed from the data. The data you provide may be used for one or more of the following purposes:
The overall findings will be used for scholarly research and may be submitted for journal publication or presented at scientific conferences. The overall findings may be included in books, articles, or other publications.
Future Research Studies: Your responses will not be used or distributed for other future research studies, though other researchers may request data in certain situations, for instance to confirm results and conclusions.