Research strategies: lessons learned from the studies of Chinese Americans and Korean Americans.

Given the increasing population of Asian Americans in the United States, there is an urgent need for culturally and linguistically sensitive and appropriate research to validate research findings, particularly with respect to health care. Although increasing attention is being focused on ethnic minority-group studies, few research reports concentrate on research strategies with respect to Asian American populations. This article describes the importance of language in culturally informed research for ethnic minorities and explores the paradigm for Asian American research methods. Finally, this article makes use of six research projects to discuss practical issues that help produce culturally and linguistically appropriate research on Asian American populations. Cultural diversity issues in patient care need to be included in the health care-related curriculum. Cultural interpretation programs should be facilitated in hospital settings.