Challenges and opportunities of Intercultural Mediation in Health

A bibliographic review

Authors

  • Rocío Ruiz Hernández University of Almería image/svg+xml , Departamento de Geografía, Historia y Humanidades. Universidad de Almería
  • Montserrat Hernández Fernández University of Almería image/svg+xml , Departamento de Geografía, Historia y Humanidades. Universidad de Almería
  • Ángeles Arjona Garrido University of Almería image/svg+xml , Departamento de Geografía, Historia y Humanidades. Universidad de Almería

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2026.9960

Keywords:

Health comunication, migration, mediation, interculturality, health, healthcare

Abstract

Introduction: Intercultural mediation in the healthcare sector is a key tool for improving equity and quality of care in multicultural contexts. Objective: To analyze the main challenges and strengths of this profession, taking into account the various challenges it currently faces, such as prejudice, language and cultural barriers, lack of resources, ethical dilemmas, and insufficient training and professional recognition. Methods: A literature review was conducted using the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases, based on a set of previously defined keywords. Results: The results show that this practice promotes more inclusive and patient-centered care, improves communication and trust between healthcare professionals and patients, and reduces health inequalities. Additionally, it strengthens social cohesion by adapting healthcare services to the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Conclusions: Intercultural mediation emerges as an essential strategy for addressing the current challenges facing healthcare systems in multicultural societies. 

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Rocío Ruiz Hernández, University of Almería, Departamento de Geografía, Historia y Humanidades. Universidad de Almería
    Social worker and social mediator. I have previously published two articles on: The Role of Intercultural Health Mediation in a Pandemic Situation and Intercultural Mediation in the Healthcare Field: Contributions to Healthcare. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences at the UAL (University of Valencia). For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rocio-ruiz-hernandez-802a0aa2/?originalSubdomain=es            

References

Aguilar, M., Bleda, J. & Centelles, C. (2019). Los inmigrantes en el sistema sanitario español: aspectos participativos y de atención a la salud. Revista Española Salud Pública,93,1-13. https://www.scielosp.org/article/resp/2019.v93/e201904016/es/

Alcaraz, M., Paredes-Carbonell, J.J., Sancho, C., López-Sánchez, P., García, J.L. & Vivas, D. (2014). Atención a mujeres inmigrantes en un programa de mediación intercultural en salud. Revista Española de Salud Pública,88,301-310. https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1135-57272014000200012

Alcouffe, L., Tareau, M.-A., Oberlis, M., Adenis, A. & Vignier, N. (2024). Research in an intercultural context: mediator-investigators of epidemiological health studies, bridges between two worlds. Frontiers in Public Health,12,1-16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1342140

Antonin, M. (2013). La mediación intercultural en el ámbito de la salud. Barcelona: Bellaterra.

Betancourt, J., Corbett, J.& Bondaryk , M. (2014). Addressing disparities and achieving equity: cultural competence, ethics, and health-care transformation. Chest,145,143-148. https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.13-0634

Chiarenza, A., Dauvrin, M., Chiesa, V., Baatout, S. & Verrept, H. (2019). Supporting access to healthcare for refugees and migrants in European countries under particular migratory pressure. BMC Health Services Research,19,1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4353-1

Degrie, L., Gastmans, C., Mahieu, L., Dierckx de Casterlé, B. & Denier, Y. (2017). How do ethnic minority patients experience the intercultural care encounter in hospitals? A systematic review of qualitative research”. BMC Medical Ethics,18,1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0163-8

Fernández-Rufete, J. & Rigaudy, C. (2009). El papel de la mediación intercultural en la atención primaria de salud. Estudio de un caso. Murcia: Consejería de Sanidad y Consumo de la Comunidad Autonóma de la Región de Murcia. https://sms.carm.es/ricsmur/handle/123456789/6039

Fernández, P. (2024). La diversidad cultural en la atención sanitaria en España: protocolos para la población inmigrante. Trabajo Final de Máster. Universidad de Alcalá. https://ebuah.uah.es/xmlui/handle/10017/65112

Guerrero, C. (2012). El mediador intercultural en el ámbito sociosanitario. Revista de Educación Social,14,1-13. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=5358808

Krieger, N. (2020). Measures of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and gender binarism for health equity research: From structural injustice to embodied harm. American Journal of Public Health,110(5),656–660. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305682

Lachal J., Escaich M., Bouznah S., Rousselle C., De Lonlay P., Canoui P., Moro M.R. & Durand-Zaleski I. (2019). Transcultural mediation programme in a paediatric hospital in France: qualitative and quantitative study of participants’ experience and impact on hospital costs. BMJ Open, 9, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032498

Marek, E. & Németh, T. (2020). Interkulturális kompetenciák az egészségügyi ellátásban. Orv Hetil,161,1322-1330. https://doi.org/10.1556/650.2020.31836

Menéndez, E. (2018). De saberes médicos tradicionales, populares y científicos. Relaciones y dinámicas racistas en la vida cotidiana. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Lugar Editorial S.A.

Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (2022). Situación de las personas migrantes y refugiadas en España. Informe Anual 2022. https://www.inclusion.gob.es/ca/web/cartaespana/-/informe-situacion-de-las-personas-migrantes-y-refugiadas-en-espana-2022-

Pérez-Urdiales, I., Goicolea, I., Sebastián, M. S., Irazusta, A., & Linander, I. (2019). Sub-Saharan African immigrant women’s experiences of (lack of) access to appropriate healthcare in the public health system in the Basque Country, Spain. International Journal for Equity in Health, 18, 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-019-0958-6

Priebe, S., Sandhu, S., Dias, S., Gadinni, A., Greacen, T., Ioannidis, E., Kluge, U., Krasnik, A., Lamkaddem, M., Lorant, V., Puigpinósi, R., Sarvary, A., Soares, J., Stankunas, M., Straßmayr, C., Wahlbeck, K., Welbel, M. & Bogic, M. (2011). Buenas prácticas en la atención sanitaria a los migrantes: opiniones y experiencias de profesionales sanitarios en 16 países europeos. BMC Public Health,11,1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-187

Qureshi, A., Revollo, H-W., Collazos, F., Visiers, C. & El Harrak, J. (2009). La mediación intercultural sociosanitaria: implicaciones y retos. Norte de Salud Mental, 35, 56-66. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4830258

Rodríguez, B. (2015). Desafíos y oportunidades de las situaciones de contacto cultural en el ámbito sanitario. Index de Enfermería,24. https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1132-12962015000300008

Rúa, R. (2015). Difusión de la cultura de mediación y gestión alternativa de conflictos a través de formación aplicada al ámbito sanitario. Trabajo Final de Máster. Universitat de Barcelona. https://hdl.handle.net/2445/67526

Segura, M.T., Alaoui, N. & Salas, A. (2023). Mediación Sociosanitaria Intercultural, estrategia de Comunicación en salud en Hospital Universitario Poniente. Revista Española de Comunicación en Salud,14, 85-91. https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2023.7705

Trinchero, H. H. (2000). Los dominios del demonio: Civilización y barbarie en las fronteras de la nación. El Chaco Central. Editorial Universitaria de Buenos Aires.

Tzogiou, C., Boes, S. & Brunner, B. (2021) What explains the inequalities in health care utilization between immigrants and non-migrants in Switzerland?. BMC Public Health, 21, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10393-9

Uzuntaria, E., Ayyıldız, T. & Seval, M. (2024). Modelo del Proceso de Competencia Cultural Campinha-Bacote y su Uso en la Investigación Enfermera. Revista de Ciencias Sociales Karaelmas, 2(1), 89-99. https://izlik.org/JA62KB95KG

Verrept H. (2019). What are the roles of intercultural mediators in health care and what is the evidence on their contributions and effectiveness in improving accessibility and quality of care for refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region? Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK550145/

Downloads

Published

2026-07-29
Metrics
Views/Downloads
  • Abstract
    67
  • PDF
    26

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Systematic Reviews

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Rocío Ruiz Hernández, Montserrat Hernández Fernández, Ángeles Arjona Garrido

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

All articles published in this journal –unless otherwise stated- are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerives (CC-BY-ND 3.0 ES) Spain 3.0 License, which allows others to copy, distribute and transmit in a public way as long as they credit the author(s), journal and institution that publish these articles, and provided that they are not altered or modified. The complete license can be consulted in: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/deed/.es

The copyright belongs to the manuscript’s author just on the basis of creating this work:

  • Moral rights are undeniable and inalienable.
  • Economic or exploitation rights can be transferred to third parties, as it occurs  when articles are published and authors partially or totally transfer their exploitation rights to publishers

Authors can archive their own articles in an institutional repository as long as their publications are cited in this journal.

How to Cite

Ruiz Hernández, R., Hernández Fernández, M., & Arjona Garrido, Ángeles. (2026). Challenges and opportunities of Intercultural Mediation in Health: A bibliographic review. Revista Española De Comunicación En Salud, 17(2), 189-201. https://doi.org/10.20318/recs.2026.9960