Language and Communication Barriers in the Mental Health Service of Hamad Medical Corporation : An Exploratory Study

The Mental Health Service (MHS) of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) serves patients who speak different languages. Despite efforts to ensure that its workforce can accommodate the language needs of patients, language barriers in consultation sessions may still hinder communication and jeopardize the effectiveness of the medical assessment, management, and care of patients. This research aims to explore the challenges posed by language barriers between English speaking psychiatrists and psychologists who do not know Arabic or have limited Arabic proficiency (LAP) and Arabic speaking patients who do not know English or have limited English proficiency, in consultation sessions in MHS, and their impact on communication and quality of care. It adopts a qualitative exploratory approach that combines semi-structured voice-recorded interviews, onsite observation, and archival research.

Drawing from the interviews with the psychiatrists, psychologists, patients, and ad hoc interpreters, onsite observation, and textual data, the findings highlight that the lack of adequate provision of language assistance poses several challenges for all parties involved in the consultation (psychiatrists, psychologists, patients, and staff who act as ad hoc interpreters). Ad hoc interpreters struggle with the task (accuracy, complexities of mental health conditions, role boundaries, which has an impact on their emotional wellbeing at work). Psychiatrists and psychologists face difficulties accessing interpreters where there is a need, and they struggle to communicate with patients via interpreters, as a result of inadequate skills (interpreting and/or mental health skills). The study identifies essential steps to enhance communication in MHS: activating the language bank, language screening of patients, enhancing inter-professional collaboration, providing interdisciplinary training, and counselling for interpreters, and revising, and implementing the policies.