Table 12 Summary of findings

Sources of language barriers

Multilingualism

Language discordance between professionals and patients

The dominance of English in training, written reports and medical notes

Factors affecting language barriers

Vocabulary limitations experienced by health professionals and patients

Gender, age and experience

Type of rapport created between healthcare professional and patients

Lack of privacy during consultations

Literacy or perceived low literacy

Personal perspectives or experiences related to the other party (patients’ perceptions of healthcare professionals, and healthcare professionals’ views and interactions with patients)

Consequences of language barriers

Poorer healthcare experience

Compromised quality of health information exchange

Patients face problems in understanding their medical condition or treatment

Strategies used by respondents to overcome language barriers

Using interpreters

Flexibility in the choice of languages

Complement communication with body language indicators, physical checks and laboratory results

Possible solutions and policy implications

Patients records to incorporate explanations in local languages

Best practice guidelines for handling sensitive and complex situations

Sensitisation / courses that address intrapersonal communication among staff

Availability of dictionaries of phrases for symptoms and conditions

Education efforts / health education within communities that incorporates language needs

Staff allocation that considers languages needs (policy)

Provision of interpreters (policy)