Moving beyond the language barrier: The communication strategies used by international medical graduates in intercultural medical encounters.
Summary of "Moving beyond the language barrier: The communication strategies used by international medical graduates in intercultural medical encounters."
OBJECTIVE:
To understand the communication strategies international medical graduates use in medical interactions to overcome language and cultural barriers.
METHODS:
In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 international physicians completing their residency training in internal medicine in a large hospital in Midwestern Ohio. The interview explored (a) barriers participants encountered while communicating with their patients regarding language, affect, and culture, and (b) communication convergence strategies used to make the interaction meaningful.
RESULTS:
International physicians use multiple convergence strategies when interacting with their patients to account for the intercultural and intergroup differences, including repeating information, changing speaking styles, and using non-verbal communication. PRACTICE
IMPLICATIONS:
Understanding barriers to communication faced by international physicians and recognizing accommodation strategies they employ in the interaction could help in training of future international doctors who come to the U.S. to practice medicine. Early intervention could reduce the time international physicians spend navigating through the system and trying to learn by experimenting with different strategies which will allow these physicians to devote more time to patient care. We recommend developing a training manual that is instructive of the socio-cultural practices of the region where international physician will start practicing medicine.
Affiliation
School of Communication, The Ohio State University, USA.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Patient education and counseling
ISSN: 1873-5134
Pages:
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20638218
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2010.06.022
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Interdisciplinary Communication
Communication, in the sense of cross-fertilization of ideas, involving two or more academic disciplines (such as the disciplines that comprise the cross-disciplinary field of bioethics, including the health and biological sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences and law). Also includes problems in communication stemming from differences in patterns of language usage in different academic or medical disciplines.
Nonverbal Communication
Transmission of emotions, ideas, and attitudes between individuals in ways other than the spoken language.
Communication Barriers
Those factors, such as language or sociocultural relationships, which interfere in the meaningful interpretation and transmission of ideas between individuals or groups.
Health Communication
The transfer of information from experts in the medical and public health fields to patients and the public. The study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.
Blood-nerve Barrier
The barrier between the perineurium of PERIPHERAL NERVES and the endothelium (ENDOTHELIUM, VASCULAR) of endoneurial CAPILLARIES. The perineurium acts as a diffusion barrier, but ion permeability at the blood-nerve barrier is still higher than at the BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER.
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