Investigating Medical English as a Lingua Franca: Determining the Effectiveness of Communication between Healthcare Practitioners in Hospital Settings in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of communication between healthcare practitioners in multilingual hospital settings in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, with a focus on Medical English as a Lingua Franca (MELF). With the increasing globalization of healthcare workforces, this study examines how linguistic and cultural diversity influences communication in medical contexts and determines the impact of medical language on effective communication. Employing linguistic mediation as a theoretical lens, this exploratory cross-sectional study utilises a scoping review, surveys, and one-to-one interviews across three public hospitals. The research identifies the absence of literature on MELF, calling for a primary investigation into the communication strategies of healthcare practitioners and their impact on communication effectiveness. The findings suggest that whilst medical language has its inherent challenges, the principal obstacles to effective communication arise from the practitioners' diverse educational, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds, which significantly impact communication. The study also indicate the creation of neologisms and non-standard abbreviations as coping strategies, which can lead to further complications. The study underscores the critical role of linguistic mediation in navigating healthcare communication, emphasising strategies such as translation, questioning, repetition, and the use of verbal and non-verbal cues. The necessity for professional interpreters, language assessments, and multilingual documentation policies is emphasised, along with cultural competence training. These strategies are essential for mediating communication, concepts, and texts in healthcare settings. In conclusion, the research highlights the diverse nature of communication within MELF environments and the need for collaborative efforts from the ministries of health and education to prioritise and improve communication among healthcare practitioners. The thesis advocates for major policy and educational reforms, concluding that effective communication in MELF settings is crucial for patient safety, thus requiring systematic training for medical practitioners to address linguistic and cultural disparities and deliver effective patient care.