Rahman Omed Abdul, Alexiou Eirini, Degl'Innocenti Alessio, Holmberg Christopher, Olaya-Contreras Patricia
Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 7;16:1643806. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1643806. eCollection 2025.
Clear and effective communication between patients and professionals in forensic psychiatric care is central to providing accurate information about care and treatment and building trust. Limited language proficiency hinders mutual understanding, making therapeutic interactions significantly more complex. In Sweden, there has been an increase in the number of non-Swedish-speaking immigrants during the last decade, which further emphasizes this important aspect. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of forensic psychiatric professionals and identify factors influencing effective communication in their interactions with patients and their relatives who have limited proficiency in Swedish.
Nine professionals specializing in forensic psychiatry- including physicians, registered nurses, and counselors-participated in deep individual interviews. Qualitative content analysis was conducted inductively, following the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.
One overarching theme emerged-effective communication is the foundation of care and treatment but difficult to separate from culture and translation. Four categories were identified (1): importance of satisfactory communication for effective patient care, (2) challenges and paradoxes of interpreter use, (3) cultural understanding as a guide for deep communication in forensic psychiatry relationships, and (4) health literacy needs of patients and relatives to comprehend treatment.
To improve forensic psychiatric care, healthcare providers must adopt structured language assistance measures, such as interpreter services and cultural competency training for professionals. Participants emphasized the importance of integrating cultural awareness in care delivery and ensuring precise communication of complex psychiatric concepts to minimize misunderstandings and enhance patient engagement. Family education and health literacy are crucial in fostering comprehension and optimizing interpreter use, enabling consistent and clear communication. Implementing these measures can lead to a more inclusive healthcare environment, ensuring equal access to mental health services for linguistically diverse patients.
在法医精神病护理中，患者与专业人员之间清晰有效的沟通对于提供有关护理和治疗的准确信息以及建立信任至关重要。语言能力有限会阻碍相互理解，使治疗互动变得更加复杂。在瑞典，过去十年中不讲瑞典语的移民数量有所增加，这进一步凸显了这一重要方面。本研究的目的是探索法医精神病专业人员的经验，并确定影响他们与瑞典语能力有限的患者及其亲属互动中有效沟通的因素。
九名法医精神病学专业人员——包括医生、注册护士和顾问——参与了深入的个人访谈。按照定性研究报告标准进行归纳式定性内容分析。
出现了一个总体主题——有效沟通是护理和治疗的基础，但难以与文化和翻译分开。确定了四个类别：(1) 满意沟通对有效患者护理的重要性，(2) 使用口译员的挑战和悖论，(3) 文化理解作为法医精神病学关系中深度沟通的指南，以及 (4) 患者及其亲属理解治疗的健康素养需求。
为了改善法医精神病护理，医疗保健提供者必须采取结构化的语言辅助措施，如口译服务和为专业人员提供文化能力培训。参与者强调了在护理提供中融入文化意识以及确保复杂精神病学概念的精确沟通以尽量减少误解并增强患者参与度的重要性。家庭教育和健康素养对于促进理解和优化口译员的使用至关重要，从而实现一致且清晰的沟通。实施这些措施可以营造一个更具包容性的医疗环境，确保语言多样化的患者平等获得心理健康服务。
