Use of indigenous language for clinical clerkship: a cross-sectional survey in Nigeria.

Abstract

Doctors' knowledge of the native language of their patients is important to effectively communicate with them. This paper aimed to explore the views and practices of medical students in Nigeria on the use of Yorùbá (an indigenous language) in their clinical clerkship. This was a cross-sectional survey of students in two medical colleges in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The study included 312 medical students, 176 males and 136 females. Most students (70.8%) used Yorùbá in their clinical clerkship despite learning medicine in English. Only 16.0% of the students relied on interpreters. None of the students had had exposure to language training in the course of their medical education. Most of the students (73.7%) supported the incorporation of indigenous language training into the medical school curriculum, and agreed that teaching indigenous languages in medical school would enhance communication skills. Incorporation of indigenous language training into the medical school curriculum in Nigeria is recommended to help overcome language barriers in clinical practice.