Not speaking the patient's language endangers doctors' diagnoses

PalmaA study by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) in Barcelona has found that not guaranteeing healthcare in patients' language can jeopardize diagnostic accuracy, trust between doctor and patient, and quality of care.

The work, published in the Revista de Llengua i Dret, warns that the situation affects not only newcomers, "but also the native population with a minority or minoritized language in different countries around the world," UPF reports in a statement this Monday.

The research consisted of a bibliographic review that includes a hundred works from different disciplines on the impact of linguistic discordance in healthcare in territories such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Finland, and also the Basque Country.

Migrants and natives

In the case of the population of migrant origin who do not master any of the languages of the host country, linguistic discordance can have "serious" consequences, such as misdiagnoses, less adherence to treatments, or excessive testing.

However, the study has revealed that linguistic discordance not only affects the migrated population, but also the native population with a minority or minoritized language, "even if they are bilingual and can also express themselves in the dominant language with more or less fluency." A fact that is currently experienced in the Balearic Islands with Catalan.

In studies conducted with Welsh speakers in the United Kingdom, French speakers in English-speaking areas of Canada, Swedish speakers in Finland, and Basque speakers in the Basque Country, it has been concluded that the ability to express oneself in a second language "decreases especially in situations of intense stress, vulnerability, fear, or pain".

Children and adults

In most previous studies, except in Finland, it has been found that the elderly and children are the groups "most exposed" to the risks of linguistic discordance in healthcare.

In the case of the elderly, cognitive decline can worsen its consequences in a second language, making healthcare difficult.

In studies from Wales and the Basque Country, it has also been concluded that children, especially if they are young and have not yet developed bilingual competencies, depend on their mother tongue to describe symptoms "accurately".

Among speakers from these communities, the identity value of language for many people has also been noted, and that the inability to speak their own language can affect "the possibility of creating a trusting relationship with the physician".

Following this first study, there will be research into the specific consequences of linguistic discordance in Catalonia, an issue "unexplored" until now.