BMJ 1999;319:1215-1215 ( 6 November )

Editorials

Linkworkers in primary care

An untapped resource

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Growing awareness of the particular needs of health service users from minority ethnic communities over the past 20 years has resulted in various linkworker schemes across Britain, but their development has been patchy. Linkworkers provide a cultural bridge between doctors and patients in areas with ethnic minority populations. The continuing debate about skill mix in general practice, together with the responsibility on primary care groups to commission services for minority populations, has intensified interest in extending their roles. What do we know about linkworkers and how effective they are?

An immediate challenge is the diversity of labels used---33 different terms in one review.1 The role has encompassed interpreting, advocacy, health education, and health promotion. For many health professionals the need for help with interpreting is paramount---since mutual incomprehension on account of language renders all other considerations secondary.2 The NHS certainly needs to extend its interpreting facilities, but the role . . . [Full text of this article]
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Perceptions and experiences of taking oral hypoglycaemic agents among people of Pakistani and Indian origin: qualitative study
Julia Lawton, Naureen Ahmad, Nina Hallowell, Lisa Hanna, and Margaret Douglas
BMJ 2005 330: 1247. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • South, J., Woodward, J., Lowcock, D. (2007). New beginnings: stakeholder perspectives on the role of health trainers. The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health 127: 224-230 [Abstract]  
  • Lawton, J., Ahmad, N., Hallowell, N., Hanna, L., Douglas, M. (2005). Perceptions and experiences of taking oral hypoglycaemic agents among people of Pakistani and Indian origin: qualitative study. BMJ 330: 1247- [Abstract] [Full text]  
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ