Work

Linguistic accommodation strategies in Non-Arabic speaking doctors' interactions with patients in Saudi hospitals and its role in enhancing healthcare for them

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: From a sustainable development perspective in healthcare settings, the quality of communication between healthcare professionals and patients is crucial. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive analysis was to examine the communication strategies used by some non-Arabic speaking physicians in Saudi Arabia hospitals when communicating with their patients. Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) was used as the framework for this study. Eight medical doctors were audiotaped, and the recordings were transcribed verbatim and coded by the researchers for the five a priori defined sociolinguistic communication adjustment strategies in CAT: 1) approximation; 2) interpretation; 3) discourse management 4) emotional; and 5) interpersonal strategies. The findings reveal that all doctors use convergence accommodation strategies. They focus mainly on approximation strategies where they pay great attention essentially to the quality of their language. It is recommended that this study be followed by a larger scale research.

Source: Research Journal in Advanced Humanities

DOI: 10.58256/j2whs893

Authors: Ali Lamouchi, Mohamed Sayed Abdellatif, Waheed Elsayed Hafez

Institutions: Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Northern Border University

Language: English

Topic: Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University