Bridging communication and culture: Advanced nursing strategies for colorectal cancer care in Chinese communities
Author(s)
Yip, Jeffrey Yuk Chiu
Author(s)
Lam, C.-P.
Date Issued
2026
Publisher
Springer
Related Publication(s)
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Start page
85
End page
96
Abstract
In Hong Kong’s Chinese communities, traditional beliefs often frame colorectal cancer as a taboo subject, shrouded in fear and fatalism. This article highlights how colorectal nurses are breaking through these cultural barriers, empowering patients to confront diagnosis and treatment with clarity and agency. By adapting Western medical frameworks to local values, nurses employ culturally sensitive communication strategies—including the SPIKES protocol—to navigate family resistance while upholding patient autonomy. Key interventions address deep-seated challenges: dispelling myths about cancer’s inevitability, reducing stigma around ostomies, and transforming survivorship care through culturally tailored support. Nurses emerge as pivotal change agents, bridging the gap between modern oncology and traditional Chinese beliefs about health and illness. Their work not only improves clinical outcomes but also reshapes cultural narratives, reframing colorectal cancer from a death sentence to a manageable condition. This model of care offers a blueprint for challenging health-related taboos in collectivist societies worldwide.
SFU Affiliated Publication
Yes
Availability at SFU Library
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