• Remsha Mustafa, Usman Mahboob, Rehan Ahmed Khan, and Abeer Anjum.
• Dr. Remsha Mustafa, MBBS, MHPE. Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education, Khawaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College, Sialkot, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2023 Jan 1; 39 (1): 414541-45.

ObjectiveTo explore the problems faced by recent medical graduates in communication with their patients due to language barriers and the influence of these language barriers on the doctor-patient relationship.MethodsA basic qualitative study was conducted at Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot, Services Hospital Lahore and Mayo Hospital Lahore over eight months after receiving approval from the Ethical Review Board of the University of Lahore. Twelve recent medical graduates from different departments were selected via a purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted over the phone with prior appointments. Manual qualitative thematic analysis was done by transcribing the interview and then codes, subthemes, and themes were generated.ResultsSix themes and thirteen subthemes were identified depicting the influence of language barriers on the doctor-patient relationship, namely: frustration (due to repetition, feeling of inadequacy & disappointment), lack of rapport (difficulty in communication, effective counseling & failure in establishment of comfort level), trust Issues (predilection towards the native speaker & difficulty in getting consent) patient dissatisfaction, compliance issues (difficulty in comprehending medication & nature of disease), and threat to patient safety (misdiagnosis & consequent treatment plan & misinterpretation of treatment).ConclusionThis study establishes the detrimental effects of language barriers on the relationship between physician and patient which can help medical educationists and policymakers in devising a curriculum in such a way that it can minimize the impact of language barriers on the doctor-patient relationship.Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.

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