Face, hierarchy, and autonomy in Uzbek clinical communication: A Situational Judgement Test study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Effective clinical communication requires not only bioethical knowledge but sociopragmatic competence, the capacity to navigate competing professional, cultural, and relational expectations in medical encounters. This exploratory, cross-sectional study asked which domains elicited the greatest sociopragmatic tension among Uzbek medical students and how their appropriateness judgements varied across year groups. A scenario-based survey was administered in Uzbek to 100 undergraduate students at seven institutions. Participants completed a six-scenario Situational Judgement Test (SJT): five scenarios used a five-point Likert-type appropriateness scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .785, reported only as a descriptive indicator of interrelatedness for a deliberately multidimensional instrument), and one used a three-option forced-choice format. Non-parametric analyses (Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Fisher’s Exact Test) were applied, and results are interpreted as sample-level patterns rather than population estimates. Mean ratings ranged from 1.86 to 2.20, below the neutral midpoint, indicating that target actions were more often rated inappropriate than appropriate. The patient-consent scenario showed the widest dispersion (M = 2.15, SD = 1.24). Gift-giving responses were divided among professional refusal (30%), acceptance explicitly framed in the instrument as cultural reciprocity (37%), and collective departmental acceptance (33%). Year group was associated with response choice, although the result was borderline and exploratory (simulated p = .038, Cramér’s V = .304). After Holm adjustment across the five scenario-level tests, year-group differences remained significant for S3, S4, and S5. The exploratory total score, which was not included in the adjustment family, also differed across year groups (H(5) = 35.01, unadjusted p < .001); given the cross-sectional design and small, uneven groups, these differences cannot be interpreted developmentally. These findings provide initial evidence from an underrepresented setting and a basis for validated, longitudinal research on culturally responsive communication training.
Source: CyberLeninK (CyberLeninka)
Author: Salimova Gulnoza A.
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222007407