Language barriers in healthcare delivery.

Background: In psychiatric care, doctors depend on information from interactions with patients to arrive at the right diagnosis and appropriate therapy (Brisset C, Leanza Y, Rosenberg E, Vissandjée B, Kirmayer LJ, Muckle G, et al. language barriers in mental health care: a survey of primary care practitioners. J Immigr Minor Health. 2014;16(6):1238–46). This is a qualitative descriptive study which seeks to investigate language barriers faced by psychiatrists in their interactions with patients and the effectiveness of the strategies which are employed to deal with the barriers. Methods: Research questions are informed by Convergence (Giles H. Communication Accommodation Theory. In: Baxter LA, Braithewaite DO, editors. Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: multiple perspectives. Thousand Oaks ( CA): Sage Publications; 2008. p. 161–73). Using semi-structured interviews, psychiatric doctors from the three state-owned psychiatric hospitals in Ghana report their experiences with convergence strategies they use, and offer suggestions that could inform future studies and policy formulation with regard to psychiatric care in Ghana. A qualitative conventional content analysis was applied whereby coding categories were derived straight from the text data. Results: The literature suggests that the study is novel with reference to Ghana. Similar studies (Lee E. Cross-cultural communication: therapeutic use of interpreters in mental health for professionals and clinicians. In: Lee E, editor. Working with Asian Americans: a guide for clinicians. New York (NY): The Guilford Press; 1997; Swartz L, Drennan G. Beyond Words: notes on the ‘irrelevance’ of language to mental health services in South Africa. Transcult Psychiatry. 2000;37(2):185–201; Jarvis GE, Ahmed R, Ryder A, Kirmayer LJ. Assessing language barriers to mental health services in a multiethnic population: preliminary findings. Presentation at Health care Access for Linguistic Minorities: Breaking the Barriers. Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 2014) corroborate this paper’s findings that language barriers have the potential of causing misdiagnoses if psychiatrists do not employ effective communication strategies. Conclusions: The paper recommends areas for further research and improvement measures which carry policy implications.

Background Communication is essential in the medical sector, particularly in the emergency departments (ED), to provide appropriate patient care. Lack of patient history and large patient numbers, cultural variations, inadequate health literacy, and language difficulties can impact effective communication. Aim This study aims to examine language and communication barriers experienced by ED physicians in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, as well as to determine the effect of language barriers on patient care and explore possible methods to deal with language and communication barriers. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from April 8 to June 6, 2023. A total of 136 responses were collected from ED physicians at the six Ministry of Health Hospitals (MOH) in Makkah through a validated online survey. The data analysis was implemented using RStudio (R version 4.1.1). Result In this study, 136 participants' data were examined. Of note, one-quarter of ED physicians (25%; n=34) under study stated that they always experienced language barriers, whereas 64.7% (n=88) of them sometimes experienced these difficulties. More than half of the ED physicians (54.4%; n=74) stated that their patients had poor outcomes because of poor communication. Among those who responded positively to poor outcomes, EDphysicians' suggestions to improve communication with patients included providing labels of the common scientific terminologies in different languages (59.6%; n=81) and providing courses to communicate in foreign languages (48.5%; n=66). Conclusion Exposure to language barriers among ED physicians in Makkah was slightly high. This may impact the patient's outcomes. Therefore, strategies to improve patient-physician communication are needed.

Introduction Cultural competence in healthcare embraces the principles of equal access and nondiscriminatory services in healthcare delivery. Dentists as significant healthcare professionals should definitely have the skills needed to diagnose and treat patients' conditions, but it is crucial to also address nontechnical skills such as cross-cultural communication, the ability to empathize, and inclusive-mindedness. Globally, cultural competency training has been included in healthcare educational programs; however, national practices reportedly have revolved around patients' clinical competencies and thus entailed overlooking the cultural dimensions of dental education that include diverse sociocultural factors that influence how dental practices are taught, learned, and delivered. These dimensions encompass elements such as language, communication styles, attitudes toward healthcare, and culturally specific oral health beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the experiences and perspectives of dentists practicing in South Punjab regarding cultural competency. Methodology The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data was collected through purposive sampling techniques utilizing semistructured interview guides. The participants recruited were licensed dentists practicing in dental institutions in South Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 18 dentists were recruited in the study. The interviews were focused on the different aspects of cultural competency by exploring the perspectives of dentists. Thematic analysis was carried out utilizing the Bran and Clarkes framework to categorize data into key themes and subthemes utilizing inductive coding. Results The study revealed that dentists lack awareness and understanding of cultural competency; they also faced significant problems due to limited cultural proficiency while dealing with diverse patients. Major challenges included inadequate training, communication barriers, and cultural bias in dentists while dealing with such diverse populations. Patients recognized the benefits of cultural competency and highlighted facilitators like institution support, peer support, mentorship support, and patient trust.Participants suggested incorporating cultural competency in dentistry curricula, continuous professional development, and community outreach programs for the development of cultural competency among dentists. Conclusions The study highlighted perspectives and experiences of dentists regarding cultural competency. The findings demonstrated key problems due to limited or lack of cultural proficiency that included communication and language barriers and unconscious cultural bias among dentists. The study also highlighted facilitators of cultural competency like institutional facilitation, mentoring opportunities from peers and seniors, and patient trust. Facilitating cultural competency among dentists may result in improved patient satisfaction, enhanced patient care, and an increase in compliance, hence overall enhancing the quality of care.

Mitigating language and cultural barriers in healthcare communication: Toward a holistic approach

Arabic communication possesses distinct characteristics that set it apart from other cultures. Understanding the specific aspects of Arabic communication is crucial, particularly for public relations officers who interact with Arab patients in healthcare settings. The increasing language and communication barriers between healthcare providers and Arab patients necessitate the involvement of public relations officers as mediators, interpreters, or facilitators. However, non-native Arabic speakers among public relations officers until now face misconception and confusion of task, lack of knowledge on Arabic communication and Arabic culture during their daily work at the healthcare centers. Therefore, this study aims to identify the challenges faced by public relation officers in healthcare centers when attending to Arab patients and to analyze the needs of these officers toward the development of a comprehensive Arabic communication model for public relations in the healthcare industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five public relation officers from different healthcare centers in Kuala Lumpur. The collected data was analyzed using NVivo data analysis software version 12. This qualitative research incorporates Hutchinson and Waters' (1987) theory of needs analysis, focusing on three key components: necessities, lacks, and wants. The findings reveal that public relations officers encounter difficulties due to the lack of references or guidelines on Arabic communication, an uncooperative working environment, language barriers in translating medical terminology, and the use of uncommon Arabic dialects. The study also highlights the PR officers' pressing needs, which include the implementation of an Arabic communication model as a guiding framework for communication with Arab patients, as well as the enhancement of their communication skills and Arabic language proficiency to ensure high-quality service provision to Arab patients in healthcare centers.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has led to big changes in UK primary care, including rapid digitalisation, with unknown impact on migrant groups.AimTo understand the pandemic’s impact on recently-arrived migrants and their access to primary health care, and implications for vaccine roll-out.Design and settingQualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with primary care professionals (PCPs) and migrants in urban, suburban, and rural settings across England.MethodSixty-four PCPs and administrative staff, and 17 recently-arrived migrants were recruited using purposive, convenience, and snowball sampling. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone. Data were analysed iteratively, informed by thematic analysis.ResultsPCPs and migrants concurred that digitalisation and virtual consultations have amplified existing inequalities in access to health care for many migrants, due to a lack of digital literacy and access to technology, compounded by language barriers. PCPs were concerned that virtual consultations resulted in difficulties building trust and risked missing safeguarding cues. Both PCPs and migrants highlighted challenges around registering and accessing health care due to physical closure of surgeries, as well as indirect discrimination, language and communication barriers, and a lack of access to targeted and tailored COVID-19 information or interventions. Migrants reported a range of specific beliefs, from acceptance to mistrust, around COVID-19 and potential COVID-19 vaccines, often influenced by misinformation. Innovative opportunities were suggested, including translated digital health advice using text templates and YouTube; these merit further exploration.ConclusionPandemic-related changes to primary care delivery may become permanent; some migrant groups are at risk of digital exclusion and may need targeted additional support to access services. Solutions are needed to address vaccine hesitancy in marginalised groups to ensure equitable COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

The language barrier continues to compromise adequate healthcare delivery in multilingual healthcare systems. This makes language an important issue for the policy agenda in such systems. This article highlights the silence of selected South African health policies on managing the language barrier in healthcare. The analysis establishes that the selected policies make limited provisions, if any, on the language barrier and fail to account for how the language barrier should be addressed in the provision of care. This silence derives from the level of attention that the subject receives in public discourses and national policies. It is therefore recommended that policies become explicit on how the language barrier in healthcare delivery should be addressed, and that effective implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation mechanisms be put in place to facilitate equitable access to healthcare services for all.

The article provides a theoretical analysis of the problem of communication barriers of Ukrainian citizens during communicating in a foreign language. The concept of “communication” is defined, as well as the conditions and types of communication are considered. Communication barriers are characterized, and their classification and displays are studied. The purpose of the article is to reveal communication barriers of Ukrainian citizens during their communication in a foreign language. Our country has a political course towards the European Union, which is also one of the factors of mastering a foreign language at least at the A2 - B1 levels. According to the purpose, the following tasks were set: to analyze the concept of “communication” and to characterize the language barriers of Ukrainian citizens when communicating in a foreign language. The article uses theoretical methods, in particular, methods of analysis and generalization, which allow us to characterize the classification and identify the types of barriers. It is noted that language barriers in communication in a foreign language are one of the cornerstone problems in contact with native speakers at work, studying and travel. The analysis of scientific research shows that communication is one of the key aspects of interaction that unites people in society, makes it possible to learn from each other, cooperate, make friends, and generally exchange information. Communication takes place at different levels, from everyday conversations to formal ones, and it has different topics depending on people’s areas of activity, interests, and speech situations. It is noted that at the present stage, communication is considered in the context of rational structures of identification and individualization and includes such procedures as quantitative numbering, awareness of belonging to a generation and qualitative identification of a person. It is emphasized that “communication” is a concept close to the concept of “spoken language interaction”, but expanded. It is stated that the biggest obstacle to language acquisition is speech and other communication barriers. It is highlighted that a communication barrier in a wide meaning is an individual inability to learn a language at the proper level or to use the knowledge already acquired. The classifications are characterized, and types of barriers are identified. The barriers to communication that can be caused by various reasons are revealed. It is noted that researchers have paid considerable attention to the study of language barriers in the process of learning and practising a foreign language in the classroom. The study of the process of a foreign language learning allows us to state the presence of language barriers, among which such obstacles as the barriers caused by operational and socio-psychological factors, as well as insufficient motivation to learn a language prevail. At the same time, the analysis of scientific research shows that language barriers are obstacles that arise when using a language. They can occur for many reasons, such as limited language proficiency, poor grammar / spelling / punctuation, a pronounced accent or lack of a common language with the interlocutor. Moreover, it is noted that there may also be some technical barriers, meaning a gap in knowledge of technical equipment and software that prevents people from communicating effectively, as mentioned in the general classification of communication barriers. There are also speech and language barrier problems caused by physical disabilities, such as hearing loss or stuttering and psychophysiological ones, such as certain aphasias like dyslexia, alalia, dysarthria etc. Physical and psychophysiological barriers can make it difficult to convey the message, as well as to understand what is being said. It is remarked that when we speak a foreign language, language barriers as a part of communication barriers are usually accompanied by others, especially psychological, emotional, perceptual, and cultural ones. Therefore, it makes sense to study the phenomenon of language barriers in close connection with the mental and intellectual activity of a person. In addition, such barriers may not arise in all communication situations involving a foreign language: they may depend on the role and state, the mood of the communicators, the purpose of the conversation etc. In accordance with the above mentioned, we will distinguish between non-psychological and psychological language barriers, situational and permanent ones.

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has changed the structures and orders of societies, especially in the nursing profession. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the challenges experienced by internship nursing students during clinical training in Iran. Methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative and conventional content analysis approach. A total of 13 nursing students in their final year of study centers in Kermanshah, Iran, were selected using purposive sampling from August to September 2022. Individual face-to-face and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached. The data were analyzed following Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. Statistical methods were not used in this study. Results: The data analysis led to 334 primary codes, ten subcategories, and three categories. The three categories were: (1) the future challenges of professional nurses; (2) education planning challenges; (3) and trainees related to challenges. Conclusions: The study revealed that nursing students experienced personal, professional, and official challenges during their clinical training in the COVID-19 disaster. Nursing schools should proactively plan and prepare themselves to resolve expected challenges and better educational management appropriately.

Communication under language barriers

Uvod: Jezikovne prepreke ob stiku s tujegovorečim pacientom močno vplivajo na kakovost zdravstvene nege, saj onemogočajo učinkovito komunikacijo med medicinsko sestro in pacientom. Ne glede na spol, narodnost, raso, etnično poreklo, versko pripadnost ali drugo osebno okoliščino imajo pacienti pravico do enake obravnave pri zdravstveni oskrbi. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, kako se medicinske sestre soočajo z jezikovnimi preprekami pri zdravstveni negi tujegovorečih pacientov. Metode: Uporabljena je bila kvalitativna metodologija raziskovanja. Podatki so bili zbrani z delno strukturiranimi intervjuji (n = 5). Vzorec je bil namenski. Za analizo podatkov je bila uporabljena metoda konvencionalne vsebinske analize besedila. Rezultati: S pomočjo vsebinske analize so bile oblikovane tri kategorije proučevanega fenomena: (1) Stik s tujegovorečim pacientom; (2) Soočanje s tujegovorečim pacientom; (3) Reševanje težav v komunikaciji s tujegovorečim pacientom. Soočanje s tujegovorečimi pacienti udeležencem v raziskavi predstavlja stisko, vendar ohranjajo empatičen odnos in se zavedajo nevarnosti, ki jih jezikovne prepreke predstavljajo za pacientovo varnost. Diskusija in zaključek: Udeleženci v raziskavi opozarjajo, da jezikovne prepreke lahko predstavljajo večja tveganja na področju zagotavljanja pacientove varnosti. Obravnavano področje je v slovenskem prostoru slabše raziskano, zato bi bilo treba proučiti različne dimenzije tako jezikovnih kot tudi kulturnih preprek ter sistemsko urediti področje zdravstvene obravnave tujegovorečih pacientov. To bi pomembno prispevalo k vzpostavitvi uspešne komunikacije ter varni in kakovostni zdravstveni negi.

Safeguarding Refugee and Asylum‐seeking Children

BackgroundEmergency medical service providers are frequently exposed to a variety of stressors as a result of their work environment. These stressors can have detrimental effects on both the physical and mental well-being of individuals. This study was conducted with the aim of exploring stress management strategies in emergency medical service providers.MethodsThis study was conducted in 2023 using a qualitative approach and content analysis method. A purposive sampling method was used to include 16 emergency medical system providers from Hamadan city. Semi-structured interviews, with a duration of 45–60 min, were conducted for data collection. The Data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s conventional content analysis approach.ResultsThe analysis of the interview data revealed three themes: readiness for the worst conditions, assistance based on supportive partnerships, and striving for balance. The six categories within these three themes were mental preparation, risk management, collaborations in emergency response, supportive communication, adaptive behaviors, and maladaptive responses.ConclusionsThe results of this study shed light on the various stress management strategies employed by emergency medical service providers. Understanding and implementing effective stress management strategies can not only enhance the well-being of emergency medical service providers but also improve the quality of patient care. Further research and action are essential to promote the resilience and mental health of these professionals, ensuring their overall well-being and job satisfaction.

Language plays a crucial role in communication as it occurs in every individual's or group's interaction. When visiting a country that speaks a foreign language, it is essential to effectively communicate in that language. This research studied international students who qualified to study abroad yet still experienced some language barriers while living in Australia. This study aims to find what are the types, effects, and their strategy to prevent the language barrier they experienced. A qualitative approach was applied in this research and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 Indonesian students who study in Australia. The result shows that the types of language barriers faced by the participants were: technical jargon, badly expressed message, and unclarified assumptions. Then, confusion was the primary impact of the language barrier on each interviewee. Lastly, the strategies they used to prevent the language barrier were: speaking slowly and clearly, asking for clarification, frequently checking for understanding, and being patient. In addition, it is suggested that international students find out more about the culture through local television movies or series so that they become familiar with the local terms.

The effects of globalization and increasing international interaction pose a challenge to modern societies in overcoming language barriers in the context of intercultural communication and national identity formation. In a world where different cultures, languages and values meet, there is a need for tools and strategies that promote mutual understanding, tolerance and the preservation of cultural characteristics. International communication is an important part of the modern world, where people from different cultures and languages communicate and exchange information. However, in the process of international communication, language and cultural barriers often arise, which can lead to misunderstandings and misperception of information. One of the main factors leading to language barriers is the difference in languages and thought structures. Each language has its own unique grammatical and lexical features that can be difficult for other cultures to understand and use. In addition, different cultures may have different ways of perceiving information and a different set of norms and values that influence the perception and interpretation of messages. This research article aims to explore the role of overcoming language barriers in the context of intercultural communication and its impact on national identity formation. It focuses on the analysis of various aspects, such as foreign language learning, cultural education, empathy and the use of auxiliary communication tools, which contribute to overcoming language barriers and improving interethnic interaction. This article reviews the literature covering the relevant aspects of intercultural communication, the impact of language barriers on it and their relationship with the formation of national identity; strategies for overcoming language barriers, such as learning foreign languages, cultural education and the use of auxiliary communication tools, are considered.