Socio Cultural Discussion

Socio/Cultural Discussion Name Course Instructor Institution Date

Language barrier in healthcare • Language barriers in healthcare exists in instances where a care provider and a patient cannot communicate effectively due to differences in the language they speak.

• Language barrier is two way in that, it can occur when a patient is not a native speaker or when a care provider is practicing where he/she is not a native speaker.

• Patients from ethnic and racial minorities are at higher risk of having language barriers, further increasing the health disparities they face (Ali & Watson, 2018).

How language barrier influences patient education and Morbidity and Mortality Rates

• Patient education Miscommunication Misinterpretation of health information Low health literacy • Morbidity and Mortality Rates Underutilization of preventive care Poor access to care Adverse events associated with poor interpretation or understanding of medical information (Al Shamsi, Almutairi, Al Mashrafi & Al Kalbani, 2020).

How to improve culturally sensitive care in patients facing language barrier • Providing interpretation services • Recruiting and retaining minority staff • Utilizing technology to enhance communication and accessibility of medical information.

• Utilizing community health workers.

• Including family members in decision making and • Learning the language spoken by natives in your geographical area of practice • Creating cultural awareness in workplaces (Nair & Adetayo, 2019).

References Ali, P. A., & Watson, R. (2018). Language barriers and their impact on provision of care to patients with limited English proficiency: Nurses' perspectives. Journal of clinical nursing, 27(5-6), e1152-e1160. https:// doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14204 Al Shamsi, H., Almutairi, A. G., Al Mashrafi, S., & Al Kalbani, T. (2020). Implications of Language Barriers for Healthcare: A Systematic Review. Oman medical journal, 35(2), e122. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.40 Nair, L., & Adetayo, O. A. (2019). Cultural competence and ethnic diversity in healthcare. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12556