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Chapter 19 Language difficulties: Healthcare provider–migrant patient communication

  • Jeanine Suurmond and Barbara Schouten
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Health, Media, and Communication
This chapter is in the book Health, Media, and Communication

Abstract

In 2020 there were 36.5 million foreign-born residents in the EU, about 8 percent of the total population. With increased migration, healthcare providers in host countries need to care more frequently for patients with whom they do not share a language. A language barrier between migrant patients and care providers is considered a risk factor for adverse health outcomes and health disparities and is associated with lower patient satisfaction with care, increased risks of medical errors and misdiagnosis, and higher hospital costs. Studies in the United States have found that professional interpreters improve clinical care for patients with limited English language proficiency. This chapter presents an overview of the research about the effect of language barriers on healthcare access and health outcomes of patients. We will discuss how language barriers influence communication between healthcare providers and patients and discuss research about the use of interpreters (trained interpreters as well as informal interpreters such as family members) and its effects on health care access and health outcomes. In addition, research about new technologies such as machine- based interpretation will be discussed. We will end the chapter with a short discussion about the preconditions for good communication with patients who do not speak the language of the host country, such as having national guidelines and having trained staff as well as some avenues for future research in the field.

Abstract

In 2020 there were 36.5 million foreign-born residents in the EU, about 8 percent of the total population. With increased migration, healthcare providers in host countries need to care more frequently for patients with whom they do not share a language. A language barrier between migrant patients and care providers is considered a risk factor for adverse health outcomes and health disparities and is associated with lower patient satisfaction with care, increased risks of medical errors and misdiagnosis, and higher hospital costs. Studies in the United States have found that professional interpreters improve clinical care for patients with limited English language proficiency. This chapter presents an overview of the research about the effect of language barriers on healthcare access and health outcomes of patients. We will discuss how language barriers influence communication between healthcare providers and patients and discuss research about the use of interpreters (trained interpreters as well as informal interpreters such as family members) and its effects on health care access and health outcomes. In addition, research about new technologies such as machine- based interpretation will be discussed. We will end the chapter with a short discussion about the preconditions for good communication with patients who do not speak the language of the host country, such as having national guidelines and having trained staff as well as some avenues for future research in the field.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface to Handbooks of Communication Science series V
  3. Contents IX
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Section 1: Message senders
  6. Chapter 1 Creating trust in health organizations 11
  7. Chapter 2 Creating trust and understanding in doctor–patient relationships 31
  8. Chapter 3 Social media influencers for health promotion 49
  9. Chapter 4 Celebrity health narratives and the celebrity sick-scape 69
  10. Section 2: Message content
  11. Chapter 5 Fear appeals in health communication 91
  12. Chapter 6 Messaging and affect processing 109
  13. Chapter 7 Narratives in health communication 127
  14. Chapter 8 Entertainment-Education in the new media landscape: Stimulating creative engagement in online communities for social and behavioral change 147
  15. Chapter 9 The communication of uncertainty in health 169
  16. Chapter 10 Social norms in health communication 187
  17. Chapter 11 The impact of argument strength in health communication 213
  18. Chapter 12 Behavioral change techniques in influencers’ social media messages 231
  19. Section 3: Medium types
  20. Chapter 13 Instagram and health 251
  21. Chapter 14 Twitter and health communication 269
  22. Chapter 15 Fantasy, facts and fun: Digital health games for impact and implementation 287
  23. Chapter 16 Chatbots for health communication 309
  24. Section 4: Message recipients
  25. Chapter 17 Information seeking, scanning, and processing 335
  26. Chapter 18 Health literacy and information processing 355
  27. Chapter 19 Language difficulties: Healthcare provider–migrant patient communication 375
  28. Chapter 20 Cognitive biases in depression: Implications for help-seeking messaging 391
  29. Chapter 21 Creating active involvement interventions to effectively reduce adolescent health risk behaviors 411
  30. Section 5: Contemporary challenges
  31. Chapter 22 Infodemics and health information overload 433
  32. Chapter 23 Fake news and misinformation 453
  33. Chapter 24 Health communication on social media during a crisis 469
  34. Section 6: Case studies
  35. Chapter 25 Exploring communication in multi-level strategies for promoting healthy diets: A South African case study 491
  36. Chapter 26 Physical activity and citizen science: Two case studies from Flanders (Belgium) 505
  37. List of contributors 527
  38. Index 539
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110775426-020

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface to Handbooks of Communication Science series V
  3. Contents IX
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Section 1: Message senders
  6. Chapter 1 Creating trust in health organizations 11
  7. Chapter 2 Creating trust and understanding in doctor–patient relationships 31
  8. Chapter 3 Social media influencers for health promotion 49
  9. Chapter 4 Celebrity health narratives and the celebrity sick-scape 69
  10. Section 2: Message content
  11. Chapter 5 Fear appeals in health communication 91
  12. Chapter 6 Messaging and affect processing 109
  13. Chapter 7 Narratives in health communication 127
  14. Chapter 8 Entertainment-Education in the new media landscape: Stimulating creative engagement in online communities for social and behavioral change 147
  15. Chapter 9 The communication of uncertainty in health 169
  16. Chapter 10 Social norms in health communication 187
  17. Chapter 11 The impact of argument strength in health communication 213
  18. Chapter 12 Behavioral change techniques in influencers’ social media messages 231
  19. Section 3: Medium types
  20. Chapter 13 Instagram and health 251
  21. Chapter 14 Twitter and health communication 269
  22. Chapter 15 Fantasy, facts and fun: Digital health games for impact and implementation 287
  23. Chapter 16 Chatbots for health communication 309
  24. Section 4: Message recipients
  25. Chapter 17 Information seeking, scanning, and processing 335
  26. Chapter 18 Health literacy and information processing 355
  27. Chapter 19 Language difficulties: Healthcare provider–migrant patient communication 375
  28. Chapter 20 Cognitive biases in depression: Implications for help-seeking messaging 391
  29. Chapter 21 Creating active involvement interventions to effectively reduce adolescent health risk behaviors 411
  30. Section 5: Contemporary challenges
  31. Chapter 22 Infodemics and health information overload 433
  32. Chapter 23 Fake news and misinformation 453
  33. Chapter 24 Health communication on social media during a crisis 469
  34. Section 6: Case studies
  35. Chapter 25 Exploring communication in multi-level strategies for promoting healthy diets: A South African case study 491
  36. Chapter 26 Physical activity and citizen science: Two case studies from Flanders (Belgium) 505
  37. List of contributors 527
  38. Index 539
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