Ician practicing in Guangzhou. We toured potentialPLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0123255 May 12,3 /African Migrant Patients’ Trust in Chinese Physiciansrecruitment sites with key informants and conducted three weeks of observation at these sites. Key informants were not included in the sample of 40 participants interviewed, and information they provided was not included in the qualitative analysis. African migrant participants were subsequently recruited from three types of locations: 1) trading markets, 2) religious institutions, and 3) universities. Previous research revealed that African traders were concentrated primarily in two locations–in the Xiaobei area of Yuexiu district and the Sanyuanli area of Baiyun district [22,26,27,29,30]. These areas, located near the Guangzhou Railway Station, are convenient for transport and provide cheap accommodation [30]. When recruiting traders, we took into consideration the daily fluctuations in trade activity and recruited on weekday afternoons, when the markets are most active. We introduced the project to six religious organizations in Guangzhou. With the permission of the local religious leaders, we approached potential participants immediately before and after the main weekly services at four of these organizations. We recruited participants from two officially recognized mosques in Guangzhou that serve the largest number of Africans, as reported by key informants. We also selected two churches: a large Catholic church that holds an Englishlanguage Sunday service and a non-denominational Christian church with membership limited to foreigners. (-)-Blebbistatin web Additionally, African students were recruited through our existing foreign student contacts at a highly ranked national public university, a regional university of technology, and a regional medical school. Inclusion criteria for participation were proficiency in English, age 18 years or older, citizenship in a country in Africa, and experience receiving health care in China. We excluded 15 participants, with lack of English proficiency being the primary reason for exclusion. Those who were primary French or Portuguese speakers who were able to speak English proficiently were included in the study. We identified more than 40 potential participants who met the inclusion criteria. Some eligible participants, however, declined to participate in the study. The primary reason given for refusal was being too busy to participate; other reasons included not wanting to take the time to do the interview, believing their English speaking skills were insufficient, or feeling uncomfortable being interviewed.Data collectionThe data collection was completed between January and May 2013. The semi-structured Actinomycin IV web interview guide consisted of open-ended questions to foster discussion of experiences receiving health care in China. During the initial interviews, issues related to patient-physician trust emerged. We incorporated these topics into a revised version of the interview guide that was used in subsequent interviews and form the basis of this analysis. African migrants were asked to narrate their most recent health care encounter in China, and they were asked to describe how they decided whether or not they could trust the physician. The first author led the interviews, while a research assistant recorded notes. Participants were offered a free meal for participation in the study. Each interview lasted approximately 30?45 minutes. Interviews were audiotaped if p.Ician practicing in Guangzhou. We toured potentialPLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0123255 May 12,3 /African Migrant Patients’ Trust in Chinese Physiciansrecruitment sites with key informants and conducted three weeks of observation at these sites. Key informants were not included in the sample of 40 participants interviewed, and information they provided was not included in the qualitative analysis. African migrant participants were subsequently recruited from three types of locations: 1) trading markets, 2) religious institutions, and 3) universities. Previous research revealed that African traders were concentrated primarily in two locations–in the Xiaobei area of Yuexiu district and the Sanyuanli area of Baiyun district [22,26,27,29,30]. These areas, located near the Guangzhou Railway Station, are convenient for transport and provide cheap accommodation [30]. When recruiting traders, we took into consideration the daily fluctuations in trade activity and recruited on weekday afternoons, when the markets are most active. We introduced the project to six religious organizations in Guangzhou. With the permission of the local religious leaders, we approached potential participants immediately before and after the main weekly services at four of these organizations. We recruited participants from two officially recognized mosques in Guangzhou that serve the largest number of Africans, as reported by key informants. We also selected two churches: a large Catholic church that holds an Englishlanguage Sunday service and a non-denominational Christian church with membership limited to foreigners. Additionally, African students were recruited through our existing foreign student contacts at a highly ranked national public university, a regional university of technology, and a regional medical school. Inclusion criteria for participation were proficiency in English, age 18 years or older, citizenship in a country in Africa, and experience receiving health care in China. We excluded 15 participants, with lack of English proficiency being the primary reason for exclusion. Those who were primary French or Portuguese speakers who were able to speak English proficiently were included in the study. We identified more than 40 potential participants who met the inclusion criteria. Some eligible participants, however, declined to participate in the study. The primary reason given for refusal was being too busy to participate; other reasons included not wanting to take the time to do the interview, believing their English speaking skills were insufficient, or feeling uncomfortable being interviewed.Data collectionThe data collection was completed between January and May 2013. The semi-structured interview guide consisted of open-ended questions to foster discussion of experiences receiving health care in China. During the initial interviews, issues related to patient-physician trust emerged. We incorporated these topics into a revised version of the interview guide that was used in subsequent interviews and form the basis of this analysis. African migrants were asked to narrate their most recent health care encounter in China, and they were asked to describe how they decided whether or not they could trust the physician. The first author led the interviews, while a research assistant recorded notes. Participants were offered a free meal for participation in the study. Each interview lasted approximately 30?45 minutes. Interviews were audiotaped if p.
