1. 1st World Congress on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health
“Diversity and Health”
17-19 May 2018, Edinburgh, Scotland
Opportunities and Challenges of an Ethnic Doctor-Patient-Relationship by the Example of Physicians and Patients of Turkish Origin in Germany
Dr Lisa Peppler |
Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science
Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany

2. Doctors and Patients of Turkish Origin in Germany
Current debates focus on intercultural doctor-patient-relationships
widely disregarded: migrants are often treated by physicians of the same ethnic group
ethnic healthcare
Which opportunities and challenges arise from an intracultural doctor-patient-relationship?

3. Methods research period: May 2010 – September 2011
semi-structured interviews with 29 physicians of Turkish origin working in Germany
expert interviews with three presidents of Turkish German medical associations
analyzed with MAXQDA-based coding

4. Results (1/2)
physicians are frequently consulted by Turkish patients as members of their ethnic group
they expect them to be familiar with their culture
physicians simplify their access to healthcare

5. Case example: Dr Pala (general practitioner)
„Usually, this ruins a new practice, when you take over a practice and only five patients come. But still I had 700 patients straightaway in the first calender quater, because all the Turks came to me. That was clear, I was the first and I am still the only Turkish speaking general practitioner in this city. And than they surged.“

6. Results (2/2) some physicians refuse to treat Turkish patients:
financially weak and difficult to deal with
patients‘ request for a special treatment due to the shared Turkish origin
physicians reject these claims due to their professional role

7. Case example: Dr Lema (dentist)
„And they come, they stand right here at the door, like ‚yeah, we heard you were a Turk, I have a toothache.‘ Yes okay, but I have my reservation patients. […] I want people to come to me, because they know and value me as a good dentist and want to use my service.“

8. Conclusion
Physicians of a particular ethnic group can improve healthcare for migrants from the same group
conflicts arise from different expectations
ethnic healthcare must be included in political strategies to ensure migrants’ access to public health
national healthcare policies should extend the support of ethnic healthcare

9. Thank you!
Dr Lisa Peppler | Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany
Dissertation:
Peppler, Lisa (2016): Medizin und Migration. Deutsche Ärztinnen und Ärzte
türkischer Herkunft – eine soziokulturelle Mikroskopie. (Göttinger Studien
zur Generationsforschung, 23) Göttingen: Wallstein.