Sheikh Ali Mustafa, Sajid Muhammad Raihan, Bakshi Eesa Nasir, Khan Abdullah Umair, Wahed Muaz Mumin, Sohail Faateh, Sethi Ahsan
College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Pathology, Alfaisal University, Takhassusi Street, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Med Sci Educ. 2022 Jun 29;32(4):865-872. doi: 10.1007/s40670-022-01579-w. eCollection 2022 Aug.
Patient-doctor communication is essential for achieving the best healthcare quality for the patients. Saudi Arabia hosts a variety of healthcare providers from diverse cultures and languages, making language barriers distinctive towards effective communication for a predominantly Arab population. There is limited research on the challenges associated with language barriers among non-native medical students. The current qualitative study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of non-native medical students during clinical encounters with Arabic speaking patient population at a private university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
This is a qualitative case study employing non-native medical students in clinical years to explore their perceptions and experiences towards language barriers. Participants attended four focus group discussions, following a brief regarding the concept of the challenges that language barriers pose. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic framework analysis was employed to analyze the data.
Twenty-two non-native medical students participated in the study. We identified four broad themes constituting problems in patient interaction, development of clinical skills, managing and overcoming language barriers, and student recommendations to overcome language barrier. Participants suggested improvements in available Arabic language courses and the introduction of a professional skills course in Arabic for non-native students.
Non-Native medical students perceived language barriers as an obstacle to a meaningful clinical experience. They identified implications for clinical learning environment, professionalism, empathy, and patient care. Recommendations for advanced occupation-related Arabic language courses to facilitate doctor-patient interactions were made to improve patient-student interactions between native patients and non-native medical students.
医患沟通对于为患者实现最佳医疗质量至关重要。沙特阿拉伯有来自不同文化和语言背景的各类医疗服务提供者，这使得语言障碍对于以阿拉伯人为主的人群的有效沟通而言非常突出。关于非本地医学生面临的与语言障碍相关挑战的研究有限。当前的定性研究旨在探索沙特阿拉伯利雅得一所私立大学的非本地医学生在与讲阿拉伯语的患者群体进行临床接触期间的认知和经历。
这是一项定性案例研究，采用临床阶段的非本地医学生来探索他们对语言障碍的认知和经历。参与者在了解了语言障碍所带来挑战的概念简介后，参加了四次焦点小组讨论。所有访谈均进行了录音并逐字转录。采用主题框架分析法对数据进行分析。
22名非本地医学生参与了该研究。我们确定了四个广泛的主题，分别是患者互动中的问题、临床技能的发展、管理和克服语言障碍以及学生对克服语言障碍的建议。参与者建议改进现有的阿拉伯语课程，并为非本地学生开设阿拉伯语专业技能课程。
非本地医学生将语言障碍视为有意义临床体验的障碍。他们确定了对临床学习环境、专业精神、同理心和患者护理的影响。为促进医患互动，提出了开设高级职业相关阿拉伯语课程的建议，以改善本地患者与非本地医学生之间的患者-学生互动。
